COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Arm's Length Management Organisation

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local ballots have been held on whether local authorities should convert their housing department to an arm's length management organisation; and what the result of each ballot was, including the percentage of those balloted voting for each option.

Iain Wright: The following table lists which ALMOs have held ballots and the percentage of those balloted in favour of establishing an ALMO.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Local authority  Turnout  In favour 
			 Derby 48 88 
			 Hounslow 35 83 
			 Kirklees 47 81 
			 Rochdale 46 90 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 44 93 
			 Barnsley 25 57 
			 Carrick 61 96 
			 Colchester 57 76 
			 Leeds—East 35 83 
			 Leeds—North East 41 88 
			 Leeds—North West 42 89 
			 Leeds—South 39 91 
			 Leeds—South East 40 88 
			 Leeds—West 38 90 
			 Waltham Forest 49 85 
			 Camden 30 23 
			 High Peak 60 98 
			 Islington 27 85 
			 Sheffield—Brightside and Shiregreen 42 78 
			 Sheffield—Central Area 47 87 
			 Sheffield—Hillsborough, Nether Thorpe 45 87 
			 Sheffield—Parson Cross, Foxhill, Longley 38 94 
			 Sheffield—Westfield, Hackenthorpe 43 89 
			 South Lakeland 65 88 
			 Bassetlaw 58 85 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 40 81 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 40 81 
			 Nottingham 40 76 
			 Slough 47 91 
			 Wolverhampton 40 84 
			 Lambeth 27 51

Balance of Funding Review: Expenditure

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total cost was to the public purse of the Balance of Funding Review.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 30 June 2005,  Official Report, column 1655W.

City Hall: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Government Office for London's estimate was of the total cost to the public purse of the Greater London Authority's City Hall over the duration of the 25 year lease, based on the final contract signed by her Department's predecessor.

Parmjit Dhanda: In January 2000, the then Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions signed an agreement with the developers of More London for the procurement of the City Hall as the headquarters of the Greater London Authority. This agreement set out the annual rent payable for City Hall, which amounts to a total of £171.2 million over the 25 year lease—£6.5 million a year on average.

Community Development: Non-Profit Making Associations

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authority local enterprise growth initiative bids included social enterprise in each round.

John Healey: Social enterprise can play a central and important part in promoting enterprise and assisting regeneration. Bidders for local enterprise growth initiative funding were therefore asked to consider how their proposals might support the development of social enterprise and how elements of their bid might be delivered through social business models. The majority of bids featured elements on developing social enterprise.
	Copies of the successful bids for both rounds one and two can be found on our website at:
	www.neighbourhood.gov.uk/legi.

Council Tax: Fire Services

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average fire authority precept on Band D council tax was in England in each year since individual precepts were created.

John Healey: Details of the average fire authority precept for Band D two-adult properties in England since individual precepts were introduced are as follows:
	
		
			   Metropolitan fire authorities  Combined fire and rescue authorities 
			 1998-99 27 — 
			 1999-2000 30 — 
			 2000-01 32 — 
			 2001-02 34 — 
			 2002-03 36 — 
			 2003-04 42 — 
			 2004-05 45 53 
			 2005-06 47 55 
			 2006-07 49 58 
			 2007-08 51 60 
		
	
	Prior to 2004-05, combined fire and rescue authorities were funded through grants from county councils, and not through a separate council tax precept.
	The data are collected on Budget Requirement returns submitted annually by all billing and precepting authorities in England.

Council Tax: Grants

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what assumed council tax collection rate is used by her Department in the grant distribution formula; and whether this assumed rate varies according to the type of local authority;
	(2)  whether councils which have poor  (a) council tax and  (b) business rates collection rates receive lower total funding after the adjustments of equalisation; and whether councils with above-average collection rates are allowed to keep the additional income after the adjustments of equalisation.

John Healey: No assumptions are made about an authority's collection rates of either council tax or business rates in the distribution to them of formula grant. Formula grant consists of Revenue Support Grant and redistributed National Non-Domestic Rates and, where appropriate, principal formula Police Grant.

Council Tax: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent on preparing for the council tax revaluation in England prior to its postponement.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 25 October 2005,  Official Report, column 327W.

Debts

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the average level of household debt.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 October 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on average household debt. (157620)
	Published figures identifying households separately in the National Accounts are not available and are only produced combined with non-profit institutions serving households.
	Annual estimates of total UK households have only been available since 1996; previously up to 1991 they were produced decennially.
	
		
			   Total financial liabilities of households and non-profit institutions serving households (£ million)  Total number of UK households in millions  Average households financial liabilities in (£000) 
			 1991 450,412 22.9 19,651 
			 1996 550,108 23.7 23,231 
			 1997 586,659 23.8 24,650 
			 1998 625,134 23.9 26,069 
			 1999 675,599 24.0 28,056 
			 2000 734,790 24.3 30,263 
			 2001 810,665 24.4 33,183 
			 2002 923,144 24.6 37,496 
			 2003 1,046,913 24.7 42,419 
			 2004 1,172,032 24.7 47,374 
			 2005 1,249,393 24.8 50,318 
			 2006 1,370,221 24.9 55,073 
			  Source: Total financial liabilities of the households and non-profit institutions serving households—United Kingdom Economic Accounts Quarter 2, 2007, ONS http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=1904 Total number of UK Households—Focus on Families 2007, ONS http://www.statistics.gov.uk/focuson/families/

Departments: Consultants

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on external public relations consultants and companies in the last 24 months; and for what purposes.

Parmjit Dhanda: Over the last 24 months, Communities and Local Government has spent £1.2 million on public relations activity to help meet our obligation to inform the public of changes in the law, and their rights and responsibilities.
	This includes work to support the Department's Fire Safety campaign to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by domestic fires, activity to support the campaign to encourage members of the public to use the online services provided by local authorities, and media coverage of the introduction of the Tenancy Deposit scheme to protect tenants from unscrupulous landlords.

Departments: General Elections

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contingency preparations her Department made for the possibility of a general election being held in autumn 2007; and what the costs were of those preparations.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 11 October 2007
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 15 October 2007,  Official Report column 822W.

Departments: ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new  (a) laptops,  (b) mobile telephones and  (c) personal digital assistant devices her Department and its predecessors have bought for the use of departmental Ministers following each Cabinet reshuffle since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: After the 2005 election and up to the 2006 Cabinet reshuffle there were one laptop, seven mobile telephones and one PDA purchased for use by ODPM Ministers.
	After the 2006 Cabinet reshuffle and up to the 2007 Cabinet reshuffle there were one laptop, one mobile phone and four PDAs purchased for use by Communities Ministers.
	After the 2007 Cabinet reshuffle and to date there were one laptop, one mobile phone and one PDA purchased for use by Communities Ministers.
	Providing figures for periods prior to the 2005 election would incur disproportionate costs.

Departments: Internet

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many websites her Department operates; how many it operated at 1 January 2005; and what the estimated annual cost has been of running her Department's websites in the last five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: During 2005 we had 22 unique websites plus 13 separately hosted sub-domains. As at 31 August 2007 the Department operated 16 unique websites and six separately hosted sub-domains.
	To produce annual costs for all the Department's websites for each of the last five years would incur disproportionate cost. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 4 July 2006,  Official Report, column 958W to the hon. Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry) for the list of websites under the Department's responsibility, and the annual running costs of those sites.

Departments: Internet

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hits the  (a) most and  (b) least popular website run by her Department has received since 1 January 2007.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department does not centrally hold web usage statistics for all of its websites. Based on those sites where figures are held centrally and using the monthly unique visitor figures, the most frequently visited site is the corporate website: www.communities. gov.uk, which averaged 247,839 unique visitors per month from January to June 2007 and the least frequently visited site was the specialist local government site Best Value Performance Indicators: www.bvpi.gov.uk, which averaged 350 unique visitors per month over the same period.

Departments: Location

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent posts in her Department have been relocated out of London and the South East in the last 12 months; in which divisions; and to what locations.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department have relocated 65 full-time equivalent posts outside of London and the South East since 1 October 2006. All these posts were relocated by our non-departmental public bodies (Audit Commission, 25 posts relocated to Bristol and 40 Standards Board for England posts relocated to Manchester).

Departments: Manpower

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by her Department in  (a) April 2006 and  (b) April 2007.

Parmjit Dhanda: Staffing levels are measured as at the last day of each quarter. The Department for Communities and Local Government came into being on 5 May 2006. As at 31 March 2006 the predecessor Department, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, employed 2,348 full-time equivalent staff and at 31 March 2007 the Central Department for Communities and Local Government employed a total of 2,244 full-time equivalent staff. This does not include the Government Offices or the Department's Agencies.

Departments: Manpower

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were employed by her Department and its predecessor on 1 January in each of the last five years; and how many of these staff were  (a) permanent employees,  (b) temporary staff and  (c) contractors.

Parmjit Dhanda: Statistics on staffing levels are collected as at the last day of each quarter. The numbers of staff in the Central Department for Communities and Local Government, and its predecessor, Office of Deputy Prime Minister on 31 December of each year are shown in the following table. This does not include staff in the Government Offices or the Department's Agencies.
	
		
			   FTE( 1) 
			  31 December  Permanent employees  Temporary staff  Total 
			 2002 2,246 36 2,282 
			 2003 2,350 77 2,427 
			 2004 2,350 111 2,461 
			 2005 2,317 77 2,394 
			 2006 2,304 51 2,355 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent. 
		
	
	Figures exclude those on unpaid absence from the Department. Temporary staff are those employed on fixed term contracts. They do not include temporary staff from agencies, contractors or consultants.
	Contractors are employed on a number of contracts throughout the Department. Contracts are monitored by cost and no records of contractor staffing levels are held centrally.

Elections: Local Government

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for her Department  (a) to consult on and  (b) to decide whether to use the powers in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill if enacted to move the date of the May 2009 local elections to June 2009.

John Healey: No decisions have been taken as to whether, and if so how, to use the powers which may be available if the Bill is enacted to move the date of the 2009 local elections to coincide with the 2009 European elections.

Equal Opportunities Commission: Manpower

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2007, to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles),  Official Report, column 1215W, on the Equal Opportunities Commission: manpower, what steps the Commission is taking to tackle the under-representation of men amongst employees of the Commission.

Barbara Follett: I have been asked to reply.
	The Equal Opportunities Commission was dissolved on the 1 October 2007. The roles and responsibilities of the Equal Opportunities Commission will be taken forward by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Fire Services

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which fire authorities in England and Wales have tri-service centres.

Parmjit Dhanda: Currently only Gloucestershire and Wiltshire have tri-service centres.

Homelessness

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how the Government defines people as being homeless.

Iain Wright: Sections 175 to 178 of the Housing Act 1996 define the circumstances when a person is statutorily homeless. Broadly, this provides that a person is homeless if they do not have accommodation that they have a legal right to occupy, which is accessible and physically available to them (and their household) and which it would be reasonable for them to continue to live in. It would not be reasonable for someone to continue to live in their home, for example, if that was likely to lead to violence against them (or a member of their family).
	"Guidance on evaluating the extent of rough sleeping (2007 Revision)", which the Department has published for the purposes of local authority rough sleeping counts, advises that the following should be considered as 'rough sleeping':
	"People sleeping, or bedded down, in the open air (such as on streets, or in doorways, parks or bus shelters); people in buildings or other places not designed for habitation (such as barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations, or "bashes")"
	"Guidance on evaluating the extent of rough sleeping" has no statutory force.

Homelessness: Females

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if her Department will revise the Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities to classify women fleeing domestic violence as unintentionally homeless and in priority need.

Iain Wright: The "Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities" provides guidance in respect of women fleeing domestic violence which accords with legislation and case law. Under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996), a person is homeless if they have accommodation available but it would not be reasonable for them to continue to occupy it. It is not considered reasonable for a person to continue to occupy accommodation if it is probable that this will lead to domestic violence or other violence against that person (or against someone who normally resides as a member of that person's family, or any other person who might reasonably be expected to reside with that person).
	In 2002 the Government extended, by Order, the categories of housing applicant who has a priority need for accommodation. These include a person who is vulnerable as a result of ceasing to occupy accommodation because of violence from another person or threats of violence from another person which are likely to be carried out.
	Broadly, the Code of Guidance states that a person fleeing a probability of violence is not to be considered intentionally homeless even if they were aware of measures that could have been taken to prevent or mitigate the risk of violence but decided not to take them.

Homelessness: Floods

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people remain displaced from their homes due to the floods in June and July.

John Healey: The information requested on how many people remain displaced from their homes due to the floods in June and July 2007 is not held centrally.
	The latest estimate of the total number of households that remain in alternative accommodation due to the floods in June and July is 2,740. This figure is based on the information that has been provided by local authorities and may not include those households who have made private arrangements or those who have secured alternative accommodation through their insurance companies.

Housing: Armed Forces

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  when she plans to make it a requirement for local authorities to accept applications from members of HM armed forces for social housing on leaving the services; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to ensure that local authorities do not discriminate against members of HM armed forces applying for social housing who have left the services earlier than the period for which they had signed up.

Iain Wright: Local authorities are required to consider every application for housing accommodation including those from a member of HM armed forces, provided it is made in accordance with the procedural requirements of their allocation scheme. Furthermore, local authorities must treat every applicant as eligible for an allocation of accommodation, with the exception of certain persons from abroad specified in regulations; and persons whom an authority decides to treat as ineligible because they (or a member of their household) have been guilty of unacceptable behaviour serious enough to make them unsuitable to be a tenant of the authority.
	The hon. Member in asking the question is perhaps referring to the application of "local connection" in respect of the allocation of social housing under the Housing Act 1996. At the moment members of the armed forces cannot establish a local connection with the area in which they are stationed or work. This can put the members of the armed forces at a disadvantage where a local authority takes account of local connection in its allocation scheme.
	In this respect I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made on 21 June 2007,  Official Report, column 108WS, by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning in which it was announced that we would make the necessary changes to housing legislation, at the earliest opportunity, to ensure that service personnel are put on an equal footing with other people when applying for an allocation of social housing.
	The fact that a person may have left the services earlier than the period for which he or she signed up is not a relevant factor in determining their eligibility or priority for an allocation of social housing.

Housing: Low Incomes

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many individuals obtained a tenancy of social housing without holding an existing social housing tenancy in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: Local authorities in England report the number of lettings in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. Registered social landlords record the number of lettings on their CORE lettings logs. These two data sources together give the total number of new social lettings in England to tenants entering the social rented housing sector in each year since 1997, as at 1 April each year.
	The total number of new social lettings to new social housing tenants in England from the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns and CORE lettings logs in each year since 1997 are provided in table 1 and table 2. Due to different data collection processes, these data sources are not necessarily directly comparable.
	
		
			  Table 1: Local authority social lettings to new social housing tenants in England 
			   Local authority  l ets 
			 1997 259,690 
			 1998 258,510 
			 1999 250,210 
			 2000 235,570 
			 2001 222,330 
			 2002 196,540 
			 2003 191,050 
			 2004 161,940 
			 2005 149,090 
			 2006 133,300 
			  Note:  As reported by local authorities. Rounded to nearest 10.  Source:  Communities and local Government Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix Return 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Registered Social Landlord lettings to new social housing tenants in England 
			   RSL lets 
			 1997 118,200 
			 1998 129,100 
			 1999 138,100 
			 2000 139,200 
			 2001 139,700 
			 2002 145,600 
			 2003 145,900 
			 2004 147,300 
			 2005 141,400 
			 2006 143,200 
			  Note:  As reported by Registered Social Landlords. Rounded to nearest 100  Source:  Continuous Recording of Social Lettings Log

Housing: Prices

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average price for a  (a) house,  (b) detached house and  (c) flat was in each local authority area in England and Wales in (i) April 1991, (ii) May 1997 and (iii) the most recent period for which figures are available, according to Land Registry data.

Iain Wright: HM Land Registry data for 1991 is unavailable.
	A table presenting HM Land Registry data on the  (a) average house price,  (b) average price for a detached house and  (c) average price for a flat by local authority area for May 1997 and March 2007 (provisional) has been placed in the Library of the House.

Housing: Rural Areas

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the target of 50 homes set by the West Midlands Regional Housing Board for settlements of less than 10,000 for the three year comprehensive spending review period in addressing housing need in those rural areas.

Iain Wright: The target set by the Regional Housing Board of 50 homes was set prior to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 (CSR07) announced by the Chancellor on 9 October. West Midlands' assessment of need for affordable housing was based on the allocation received for the 2006 to 2008 funding period. There was the anticipation that the strategy would need to be revisited once the final CSR07 allocation is known.
	On 16 October my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Housing, announced a £10.2 billion package for housing and we anticipate that this will support a 50 per cent. increase in annual social rents outputs by 2010-11 in comparison with this year (2007-08) in addition to other measures to tackle the need for affordable housing.
	In the Housing Green Paper, we announced that we would be establishing a national target for rural affordable housing across the three years 2008 to 2011. With this in mind, my Department is working with the regional assemblies to assess need for rural affordable housing in their areas and what provision should be in the light of the CSR settlement.

Housing: Rural Areas

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the target of 65 homes set by the East of England Regional Housing Board for settlements of less than 10,000 for the three year comprehensive spending review period in addressing housing need in those rural areas.

Iain Wright: The target set by the East of England Regional Housing Board of 65 homes was set prior to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 (CSR07) announced by the Chancellor on 9 October. The East of England's assessment of need for affordable housing was based on the level of funding received for the 2006 to 2008 funding period and projected forward to arrive at an indicative allocation for 2008 to 2011.
	On 16 October my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Housing, announced a £10.2 billion package for housing and we anticipate that this will support a 50 per cent. increase in annual social rents outputs by 2010-11 in comparison with this year (2007-08) in addition to other measures to tackle the need for affordable housing.
	In the Housing Green Paper, we announced that we would be establishing a national target for rural affordable housing across the three years 2008 to 2011. With this in mind, my Department is working with the regional assemblies to assess need for rural affordable housing in their areas and what provision should be in the light of the CSR settlement.

Housing: Valuation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency's value significant codes of  (a) ZL,  (b) ZI and  (c) ZH have a (i) positive and (ii) negative co-efficient applied to the variable in the multiple regression formula used in its automated valuation model.

John Healey: Coefficients are not applied to a variable in the multiple regression formula. Multiple regression analysis determines whether an attribute is statistically significant in explaining an element of variation in the price achieved in a property transaction. Whether a positive or negative coefficient results for any attribute will vary  (a) each time analysis of sales information is undertaken  (b) from area to area and  (c) between property types (e.g. flats and houses).

Land use

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department and its agencies have made of the amount and proportion of land-banking by property developers in the form of not initiating developments which have been granted planning permission.

Iain Wright: There is no centrally held information from which we could estimate the amount and proportion of 'land banking' by property developers.

Local Authorities: Accountability

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to increase the powers of redress for local residents in relation to services provided by local authorities.

John Healey: The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill contains a provision to take forward the Community Call for Action mechanism which contains a statutory process for ward councillors to act on concerns from the local community to resolve problems with local government services.
	As part of the "Governance of Britain" Green Paper the Government committed to consulting on ways of increasing citizen's powers of redress to scrutinise and improve the delivery of local services and to consider a duty that requires local authorities to consider and investigate petitions from local communities.

Local Authorities: Grants

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what use is made of damping mechanisms in the allocation of formula grants to local authorities; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: Within the local government finance settlements for 2006-07 and 2007-08, there are two damping sub-blocks within the Relative Needs Formulae—one for Children's Social Care and one for Younger Adults' Personal Social Services.
	We also use floor damping in the final calculation of formula grant.

Local Authorities: Non-Profit Making Associations

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to ensure local authorities support social enterprise.

John Healey: The Department launched a third sector strategy discussion paper on 7 June which included consideration of the need of third sector organisations for more sustainable forms of investment and improvements in local partnership working.
	More than 150 written responses have been received. Over 450 delegates took part in eight regional consultation events on the paper. In addition, the responses received are being considered and we aim to publish a final strategy, including propositions of how the Department and local authorities can work in partnership and support the third sector, including social enterprises.

Local Authorities: Petitions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to introduce legislation to introduce a duty on local authorities to consider petitions.

John Healey: As the recently published; "Governance of Britain" Green Paper states, the Government are considering introducing a duty that requires local authorities to consider and investigate petitions from local communities, and guarantees petitioners and the wider community a response on the issues which have been raised. We intend to consult about this in the near future.

Local Authorities: Public Participation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether she plans to introduce legislation to require local ballots on spending decisions by local authorities;
	(2)  whether she plans to require local authorities to implement citizens' juries.

John Healey: In the recently published "Governance of Britain" Green Paper the Government announced their desire to help create active citizens and empowered communities who are fully engaged in local decision-making. As part of this process the Government have proposed a number of ideas to debate and consult on, including introducing powers to ballot on spending decisions and consulting on major decisions through mechanisms such as Citizen's Juries.

Local Authorities: Standards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what targets her Department sets for local authorities, including under the public service agreement, local area agreement and best value performance indicator regimes, in relation to the  (a) number of benefit awards and  (b) number of unclaimed benefits.

John Healey: Neither Communities and Local Government nor the Department for Work and Pensions sets targets for local authorities on the number of benefit awards and the number of unclaimed benefits. Local authorities may, if they wish, include targets on these issues in their local area agreements (including for reward) which are agreed with central Government.

Local Government Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date she expects the next Local Government Finance Settlement statement to take place.

John Healey: The date of the statement will be announced by the Leader of the House in due course.

Local Government Finance: Council Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of local government revenue expenditure in England was financed through council tax in each year since 1996-97.

John Healey: Outturn information for years up to 2005-06 can be found in Table 3.5c of Local Government Financial Statistics England No. 17 2007 at the following web address:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/stats/lgfs/2007/index.htm.

Local Government: Cooperation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has for a concordat between local and central Government.

John Healey: The "Governance of Britain" Green Paper contains a commitment that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (CLG) will work with the Local Government Association (LGA) to establish a concordat to govern the relations between central and local government. Discussions between CLG and the LGA are ongoing. CLG will provide further detail about publication of the concordat in due course.

Local Government: Elections

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans the Government have to use powers in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill, if enacted, to delay the date of the May 2009 local elections.

John Healey: No decisions have been taken as to whether, and if so how, to use the powers which may be available if the Bill is enacted to move the date of the 2009 local elections to coincide with the 2009 European elections.

Local Government: Television Channels

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what expenditure has been incurred to date by her Department on the Local Government Today television channel.

Parmjit Dhanda: As at 3 October 2007 no publicity expenditure has been incurred by Communities and Local Government on the Local Government Today television channel.

Mobile Phones: Aerials

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will amend planning guidance on mobile telephone masts to make disclosure of mast locations and power levels to a Sitefinder website or equivalent a condition of planning permission.

Iain Wright: We have no plans to amend planning guidance in this way. The Government and the Office of Communications (Ofcom) remain committed to the principles underlying Sitefinder.
	Each of the mobile network operators is in discussion with Ofcom and the Government on the future provision of data to Sitefinder so that members of the public will continue to be able to access information about the location of base stations in their neighbourhood.

Non-Domestic Rates: Assessment

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the internal guidance used by the Valuation Office Agency on undertaking assessment casework for non-domestic rates valuations.

John Healey: A copy of the relevant instruction and guidance to Valuation Office Agency staff on undertaking assessment casework for business rates has been placed in the Library.

Planning

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations she has received on the Planning White Paper.

Iain Wright: The Planning White Paper covered a wide variety of issues and included a number of questions upon which we went to consultation. This closed on 17 August 2007. We received over 30,000 responses which we are currently in the process of analysing. The Government will produce a summary of responses, including next steps, shortly. However, Ministers continue to receive a range of letters and other representations on the issues raised in the Planning White Paper.

Planning Gain Supplement

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Government have spent on preparatory work carried out on the planning gain supplement; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	HM Treasury, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Department for Communities and Local Government have undertaken preliminary work since 2004 to develop and explore the feasibility of a planning gain supplement. This has included the publication of one consultation document alongside the 2005 pre-Budget report and three consultation documents alongside the 2006 pre-Budget report. The costs incurred have been borne by the respective Departments as part of the normal policy development process.

Planning Permission

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department and its agencies have made of the proportion of residential planning applications granted each year which are not commenced.

Iain Wright: There is no estimate centrally available but the Government are keen to see faster take up and commencement of planning permissions granted for housing development. We have recently reduced the period for which a planning permission remains valid from five years to three years. We have also made it clear in planning policy that there is no presumption that planning permission will be renewed in the case where an applicant is seeking, in effect, to renew a permission that has expired.
	In our Housing Green Paper: "Homes for the Future; more affordable, more sustainable" we said that we would consider whether further measures are needed to incentivise developers to build out major housing development sites more quickly through the development control process. We shall also want to take account of anything that John Calcutt says in the independent review of house-building delivery we asked him to undertake. He is due to report on this shortly.

Planning: Agriculture

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in respect of which local plans, broken down by Government Office of the Region, she has made a direction, under paragraph 1(3) of Schedule 8 to the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, to not save a local plan policy of protecting the best and most versatile agricultural land.

Iain Wright: The following local authorities' requests to extend saved policies specifically aimed at protecting the "best and most versatile" (BMV) agricultural land were not agreed by the Secretary of State:
	 South East
	Bracknell Forest
	Chiltern
	Crawley
	Guildford
	Hart
	Medway
	Runnymede
	Wycombe
	 South West
	Restormel
	Torbay

Planning: Agriculture

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes have been made to planning policy on the protection of the best and most versatile agricultural land since May 1997.

Iain Wright: The Government's planning policy on best and most versatile (BMV) agricultural land is set out in "Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable development in rural areas" (PPS7), published in August 2004. PPS7 replaced "Planning Policy Guidance note 7: The Countryside, Environmental Quality and Economic and Social Development" (PPG7), published in February 1997, which included policy guidance on (BMV) agricultural land.
	PPG7 said that, within the principles of sustainable development, BMV agricultural land (defined as grades 1, 2 and 3a) should be protected as a national resource for future generations and its development should not be permitted before opportunities had been assessed for using previously developed or lower grade land.
	In December 2000 the Government's Rural White Paper "Our Countryside: the future", signalled that policy affecting planning decisions relating to BMV land should be changed. The White Paper said that decisions about proposed development affecting BMV agricultural land should take account of the overall value of the land and that agricultural quality should be treated only as one factor. It therefore proposed that BMV agricultural land should no longer be protected as a national agricultural resource and that decisions about proposed development affecting such land should left to local planning authorities. It also proposed that powers for the Minister of Agriculture to intervene in decisions on BMV agricultural land should be repealed.
	PPG7 was subsequently amended by a parliamentary answer given by the then planning Minister the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford) on 21 March 2001 to reflect the White Paper's policy proposals.
	These policy changes were carried forward into PPS7. This asks local authorities that the presence of BMV agricultural land should be taken into account alongside other sustainability considerations when determining planning applications. The policy also says that where significant development of agricultural land is unavoidable, local planning authorities should seek to use areas of poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality, except where this would be inconsistent with other sustainability considerations. If any undeveloped agricultural land needs to be developed, the policy requires any adverse effects on the environment should be minimised.

Planning: Crime Prevention

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what consultation her Department has undertaken with the police on the new planning application form planned for use nationally from April 2008;
	(2)  if she will require the inclusion of a question on crime prevention measures in the new standard planning application form.

Iain Wright: Consultation proposals for the standard planning application form were published in March 2005.
	The form does not include a question on crime prevention measures. The form cannot be changed at this stage as some local planning authorities are using it before it becomes mandatory on 6 April 2008.
	Local planning authorities should have regard to Planning Policy Statement 1: Sustainable Development which states that their policies should ensure that developments create safe environments where crime or fear of crime does not undermine quality of life.

Property: Public Sector

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties are held on the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land database; and what property attributes are recorded for each property.

Iain Wright: The Register for Surplus Public Sector Land is managed by English Partnerships on behalf of Government. It identifies land held centrally by central Government and their agencies that is surplus to operational requirements. The register allows a 40-day period for public bodies to express an interest in an area of land prior to it being marketed more widely. The most recent version of the register was published on 30 September 2007 and is available at:
	www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/rspsl.htm
	This provides site information by county, local authority, originating body, nearest town and area. The information provided about individual properties is the site area and a short description or location. To date around 70 public sector bodies have supplied details of more than 750 sites, totalling around 5,000 hectares of land.

Race Relations

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to which organisations or individuals the Preventing Extremism Unit has made grants of less than £100,000 since June.

Parmjit Dhanda: Since June 2007 the Preventing Extremism Unit has made direct grants of less than £100,000 to:
	
		
			  Organisation  £ 
			 Business in the Community (BITC) 70,000 
			   
			 Common Purpose 40,000 
			   
			 Muslim Youth Helpline 35,000 
			   
			 Muslim Youth Development Partnership, made up of: 40,000 
			 Karimia Institute (grant recipient)  
			 Crime Concern  
			 Muslim Hands  
			   
			 Sizanani Africa 20,000 
		
	
	No grants have been made to individuals.

Regional Development Agencies: Planning Gain Supplement

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether it is the Government's intention that regional development agencies will keep part of the revenues raised from planning gain supplement.

Iain Wright: The 2007 pre-Budget report announced on 9 October that legislation implementing the planning gain supplement will not be introduced in the next parliamentary Session. Instead, the Government intend to legislate in the forthcoming Planning Reform Bill to empower local planning authorities in England to apply new planning charges to new development, alongside negotiated agreements for site-specific matters. The ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning, also on 9 October 2007,  Official Report, column 25WS, set out further details of the new planning charge.

Smoking: Enforcement

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what procedures she has in place for  (a) recording and  (b) proceeding against (i) ministers and (ii) staff who breach the ban on smoking in enclosed public places; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Staff in Communities and Local Government who breach the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces would be dealt with under the Department's disciplinary rules. All penalties given to staff under the disciplinary rules are recorded. Staff in Communities and Local Government smoking in areas in or around its buildings where it is prohibited would be asked by security staff to move to an acceptable location. Any who might refuse or who repeatedly try to smoke in a such an area would be reported for disciplinary action.

Speeches: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library copies of the presentation, speech and handouts produced by her Department's representatives at the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation Annual Conference on 10 October 2007 on the challenge of GC and e-connectivity to enable transformation.

John Healey: A copy of the presentation made by Balraj Sandhu, Senior Business and Stakeholder Manager Government Connect Programme of Communities and Local Government, at the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation Annual Conference on 10 October 2007 is available on the Government Connect website,
	www.govconnect.gov.uk.

Standards Board for England: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget of the  (a) Standards Board for England and  (b) Adjudication Panel is for (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09.

John Healey: The Department has agreed to provide the Standards Board with grant funding of £9.371 million for 2007-08. This includes a sum of £515,000 to meet the operational costs of the Adjudication Panel. An additional payment of £599,000 in 2007-08 has been agreed in respect of the costs relating to the Standards Board's relocation from London to Manchester.
	No decisions have been taken in respect of the grant to be allocated to the Standards Board for 2008-09.

Valuation Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) of 25 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1156W, on the Valuation Office, on what aspects of domestic valuations Cole Layer Trumble are providing consultancy advice.

John Healey: Cole Layer Trumble are not providing any consultancy advice on domestic valuations.

PRIME MINISTER

Departments: Flowers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister how much was spent by his Office on flowers in the last 12 months.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office (Gillian Merron) on 17 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1131W.

Departments: Recruitment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister how many people have been appointed to his Office outside Civil Service grades in the last 30 days.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office (Gillian Merron) on 17 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1132W.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Pay

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been  (a) overpaid and  (b) underpaid to military personnel stationed in (i) Afghanistan and (ii) elsewhere through the Joint Personnel Administration system in 2007.

Derek Twigg: The number of over and underpayments resulting from Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system errors in 2007 can be provided, although the information requested for Afghanistan and elsewhere is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The figures are:
	
		
			  Month  Overpaid  Underpaid  Total 
			 January 161 1,383 1,544 
			 February 70 0 70 
			 March 229 54 283 
			 April 13,908 252 14,160 
			 May 3,340 1,181 4,521 
			 June 0 90 90 
			 July 2,978 416 3,394 
			 August(1) 0 51,917 51,917 
			 (1) Figures for August are subject to revision and refinement. 
		
	
	The increase in the number of overpayments in April was due primarily to transitional data errors from the Army legacy systems where elements were not picked up as expected by the JPA system. Records were corrected in time for the May payroll.
	In August 35,553 incorrect payments of £3.00 were made to the discontinued RN and Royal Marines Dependants' Fund. The error has been corrected and the money will be re-credited to pay accounts in October.
	In addition 16,364 underpayments of Home to Duty Travel claims for RN reservists occurred. The error has been corrected and the claims have reprocessed for payment in September.

Armed Forces: Personnel Management

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the full implementation of the Joint Personnel Administration project; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system is one of the most complex business change projects in either the private or public sector. It has been successfully rolled-out on time to all three Services; to the RAF from April 2006; to the RN from October 2006; and to the Army from March 2007.
	Since the initial roll-out of JPA to the RAF much has been achieved to improve the quality of the service being provided and to address problems. Personnel are more familiar with the new system and the business processes that it supports. But we are still in a transitional phase and there will be a further period of 'bedding down' which is bound to highlight the need for further business process, technical and training changes.
	JPA now provides a stable, modern platform to support our Services. However, like all major change programmes of this complexity it will take a period of further refinement in order to exploit its full potential. I remain fully committed to delivering an excellent pay and personnel administration service to our armed forces.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armoured vehicles are in service with the Army, broken down by type.

Bob Ainsworth: The number of armoured vehicles of each type that are in service with the Army as at 10 October 2007 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Vehicle  t ype  Number in  s ervice in 2007 
			 AS 90 146 
			 Combat Engineer Tractor (CET) 78 
			 Challenger 2 (CR 2) Fleet 345 
			 Challenger Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle (CRARRV) 81 
			 Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) (CVR(T)) Fleet 1118 
			 FUCHS 11 
			 FV432 Fleet 1492 
			 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) 59 
			 SAXON Fleet 413 
			 SHIELDER 30 
			 STORMER 148 
			 TROJAN 14 
			 TITAN 16 
			 WARRIOR Fleet 385 
			 VIKING 40 
		
	
	These figures include those armoured vehicles used for training and undergoing in depth maintenance. Not included are those vehicles considered 'protected' such as the MASTIFF protected patrol vehicles.

Departments: Internet

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hits the  (a) most popular and  (b) the least popular website run by his Department has received since 1 January 2007.

Derek Twigg: Total page views for the most popular and the least popular websites run by the Ministry of Defence are as follows:
	
		
			   Site + URL  Total page views (number of times individual pages in the site accessed) 
			 Most popular RAF: http://www.raf.mod.uk (1)36.2 million 
			 Least popular MOD Art Collection: www.art.mod.uk (2)2,000 
			 (1) Figures for January—October 2007. (2) Financial year 2006-07.

Military Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Mastiff vehicle will be  (a) delivered to the UK and  (b) shipped to theatre.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 October 2007,  Official Report, column 202, during the Defence Procurement debate.

Military Fighting Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many of the ordered 140 Mastiff vehicles announced during the Prime Minister's statement on Iraq of 8 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 21-38, will be sent to  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan; and by what date in each case;
	(2)  from which budget funding will be provided for the 140 additional Mastiff vehicles announced by the Prime Minister in his statement on Iraq update of 8 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 21-38.

Bob Ainsworth: As I said during the procurement debate in the House on 9 October, the Defence budget will be funding the procurement of additional Mastiff vehicles. Although delivery schedules have not yet been confirmed, we anticipate that they will be deployed on operations within the next 18 months. The allocation of these vehicles to Iraq, Afghanistan and the UK based training fleet will be a matter for commanders.

RNAS Yeovilton

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future role of RNAS Yeovilton.

Bob Ainsworth: The future role of RNAS Yeovilton is currently being considered as part of Programme Belvedere, which was announced in 2006 and set up to conduct a study into the long term requirements for Joint Helicopter Command's helicopter bases in the UK, originally part of the MOD review of Defence Airfields.
	Programme Belvedere's review is ongoing; consequently, no decisions have yet been taken on the future role of any of the bases included in the review. Once the programme has reached its conclusions, a ministerial announcement will be made. This is not expected before early 2009.

JUSTICE

Peterborough Prison: Drugs

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many seizures of illicit drugs have taken place at HMP Peterborough in each month since May 2005; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The answer is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Seizures of Illicit Drugs by Month: HMP Peterborough 
			  Number 
			   Male  Female 
			  2005   
			 May 1 0 
			 June 0 0 
			 July 3 0 
			 August 0 0 
			 September 1 1 
			 October 0 0 
			 November 1 0 
			 December 0 0 
			
			  2006   
			 January 1 1 
			 February 1 0 
			 March 5 2 
			 April 1 0 
			 May 1 1 
			 June 2 0 
			 July 0 1 
			 August 5 0 
			 September 3 2 
			 October 4 0 
			 November 6 2 
			 December 5 0 
			
			  2007   
			 January 1 0 
			 February 5 2 
			 March 5 0 
			 April 2 1 
			 May 4 1 
			 June 8 2 
			 July 4 0 
			 August 2 1 
			 September 3 0 
			 October 1 0 
			 November   
			 December

Repossession Orders: Mortgages

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether an estimate has been made of the number of mortgage repossessions which would be classified as subprime mortgages.

Kitty Ussher: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government do not hold these figures. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) publishes the total numbers of properties taken into possession, available at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/statistics

TRANSPORT

Bicycles: Accidents

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many traffic accidents there were involving cyclists in Peterborough constituency in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one pedal cyclist in the Peterborough constituency in the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Peterborough constituency 
			   Number of accidents 
			 2002 72 
			 2003 98 
			 2004 78 
			 2005 64 
			 2006 62

Departments: Internet

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many websites her Department operates; how many it operated at 1 January 2005; and what the estimated annual cost has been of running her Department's websites in the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Current figures for the Department for Transport and its executive agencies are as follows:
	80 operating websites have been identified, 71 of these have been listed for closure by end 2011 of which 17 have already closed.
	The Department is currently undertaking a programme of website rationalisation under the Transformational Government Agenda. Figures for central Government Department websites were published in January this year in the Transformational Government Annual Report 2006 as part of the departmental website review (http://www.cio.gov.uk/transformational_government/annual_report_2006/). Updated figures were subsequently reported in the National Audit Office Government on the Internet Report published in July 2007. (http://www.governmentontheweb.org/access_reports.asp)
	There is no central list of departmental sites that operated in January 2005 and to obtain such a retrospective list could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Estimated running costs for departmental sites where available, were previously provided to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) on 15 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 648-49W. No additional information for running costs for the last five years is available.

Driving: Licensing

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which  (a) identification documents and  (b) driving licences are required to receive a full EU driving licence.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Driving licences issued in the UK conform to the format and standard laid out in the second EC directive on driver licensing (91/439/EEC) and are considered to be EU driving licences.
	All applicants for a first driving licence must provide evidence of identity. This is usually a passport but, in instances where a passport is not available, alternative documentation will be considered. If there is any doubt concerning the applicant's identity, a licence will not be issued.
	The holder of a full driving licence issued elsewhere within the EU/European economic area may apply to exchange their licence for a full UK licence. Driving licences from the following countries may also be exchanged: Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Faroe Islands, Falkland Islands, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and Zimbabwe. Any application to exchange a licence must be accompanied by evidence of identity.
	I am unable to comment on the arrangements concerning identification checking for the issue of driving licences elsewhere in the European Union.

Internet: Standards

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the website Arrive Alive.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Arrive Alive website's main aim is to promote the Arrive Alive programme to schools to deliver important road safety messages to schools and other organisations.
	There is no assessment made on the effectiveness of the Arrive Alive website. However, during the months from 30 September 2006 to 30 September 2007 there were 50,877 visits to the website, which equate to 139 average daily visits. This shows a positive interest in the programme.

Railway Network

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her Department's latest estimate is of the cost of constructing a high speed rail line between London and Scotland via  (a) the north-east and  (b) the west midlands and the north-west.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The capital cost of constructing a new high speed railway line between London and Scotland is likely to be some £30 billion, whichever route is taken. Presently there is no justification case for such expenditure. Considerable improvements are already being made to the West Coast Main Line to accelerate Anglo-Scottish journey times for introduction in December 2008.

Road Safety Campaigns

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 42-43, on road safety campaigns, how many hits the www.hedgehogs.gov.uk site received in each month since October 2006; and what further assessment of the effectiveness of the website has been conducted since November 2006.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of hits (total number of successful requests for pages) the hedgehogs website has received since October 2006 is set out in the table. As provided in November 2006, I have also enclosed the figures for the distinct number of hosts served.
	As mentioned previously, the hedgehogs website is one medium within a broad mix of media channels such as online advertising, PR, partnership marketing and road safety materials used to raise awareness about road safety to children. Our advertising drives children to the hedgehogs site to engage them in more comprehensive road safety information in a fun and engaging way.
	Visitor numbers to the site remain encouraging and given the growing proportion of children moving to the internet as their primary medium, we shall continue to use online advertising and web presence to help to boost road safety awareness among children.
	
		
			  Month  Hits( 1)  Visitors( 2) 
			  2006   
			 November 161,435 26,053 
			 December 148,040 47,868 
			
			  2007   
			 January 123,701 21,668 
			 February 142,438 36,557 
			 March 152,926 33,828 
			 April 121,144 26,101 
			 May 155,984 30,867 
			 June 149,293 29,568 
			 July 136,569 33,880 
			 August 104,979 27,211 
			 September 123,131 27,325 
			 (1) Total number of successful requests for pages. (2) Number of distinct hosts served.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Crime: Children

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed by children in Cambridgeshire in each of the last 10 years, broken down by type of offence.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not available centrally. Details of the age of the offender are not collected in the recorded crime statistics.

Departments: Parliamentary Questions

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library copies of  (a) written guidance and instructions provided to officials in her Department who draft parliamentary answers and  (b) the declaration required to be made by such officials on submitting drafts for ministerial approval; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: I have arranged for the relevant documents to be placed in the Library of the House.

Lancashire Constabulary: Manpower

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police are employed in Lancashire; and how many there were employed in 1997.

Tony McNulty: The number of full-time equivalent police officers (rounded to the nearest whole number, excluding those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave) was 3,566 as at 31 March 2007. As at 31 March 1997 the figure was 3,248 on the same basis.

Metropolitan Police: Emergency Calls

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the performance of the Metropolitan police emergency call system;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the performance of the Metropolitan police emergency call system on 20 July 2007;

Tony McNulty: In 2005-06, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary undertook a baseline inspection of emergency and non-emergency contact management systems for the police forces of England and Wales. Under this review, the Metropolitan police performance was classified as 'Fair'. There has not been a similar or specific assessment of the performance of the Metropolitan police's emergency and non-emergency contact management system for 21 July 2005 nor for 20 July 2007.

Police

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which  (a) local authorities and  (b) local authority wards comprise each police force basic command unit.

Tony McNulty: A spreadsheet has been produced which details, for each local authority ward area, which police basic command unit and local authority area the ward falls within. Due to the volume of data in the spreadsheet, a copy of this will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

Police: Festivals and Special Occasions

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the operation of the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme; what progress has been made in extending its remit to cover the training of stewards and road marshals for local events; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Community Safety Accreditation Schemes enable chief officers to designate limited powers under the Police Reform Act to employees of approved organisations who contribute towards community safety. These powers include the power to regulate traffic.
	It is a matter for the chief officer to decide the extent and content of the training undertaken by the employee(s) in order to be accredited and designated particular powers, and it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure its employee(s) receive that training.

Police: Manpower

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in each police force in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Police officer strength( 1)  (FTE)( 2)  by police force as at 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2007 
			  Police force  1997( 3)  1998  1999  2000  2001( 4)  2002  2003( 5)  2004( 5)  2005( 5)  2006( 5)  2007( 5) 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,989 2,976 2,999 2,934 2,994 3,096 3,149 3,401 3,384 3,389 3,375 
			 Bedfordshire 1,094 1,079 1,041 1,028 1,036 1,069 1,106 1,181 1,215 1,198 1,185 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,302 1,291 1,274 1,237 1,296 1,362 1,384 1,400 1,402 1,430 1,381 
			 Cheshire 2,046 2,042 2,071 2,011 2,002 2,059 2,119 2,177 2,186 2,174 2,192 
			 Cleveland 1,459 1,483 1,416 1,404 1,407 1,461 1,582 1,687 1,676 1,677 1,713 
			 Cumbria 1,144 1,164 1,126 1,084 1,048 1,100 1,140 1,222 1,232 1,230 1,244 
			 Derbyshire 1,791 1,772 1,759 1,777 1,823 1,848 2,003 2,070 2,070 2,046 2023 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,865 2,962 2,887 2,841 2,934 3,053 3,202 3,283 3,369 3,493 3,476 
			 Dorset 1,284 1,310 1,279 1,306 1,354 1,381 1,416 1,433 1,450 1,485 1,492 
			 Durham 1,461 1,515 1,568 1,558 1,595 1,614 1,651 1,685 1,718 1,699 1 ,683 
			 Essex 2,961 2,928 2,891 2,806 2,897 2,946 2,989 3,098 3,190 3,279 3,297 
			 Gloucestershire 1,133 1,104 1,104 1,114 1,173 1,183 1,227 1,284 1,291 1,289 1,303 
			 Greater Manchester 6,922 6,949 6,810 6,795 6,909 7,217 7,343 8,042 8,041 7,959 7,887 
			 Hampshire 3,452 3,490 3,473 3,419 3,438 3,480 3,668 3,706 3,725 3,707 3,796 
			 Hertfordshire 1,759 1,740 1,724 1,767 1,922 1,825 1,957 2,086 2,104 2,126 2,159 
			 Humberside 2,045 2,021 1,974 1,932 1,917 2,058 2,105 2,213 2,230 2,224 2,227 
			 Kent 3,260 3,251 3,201 3,204 3,319 3,355 3,487 3,576 3,586 3,599 3,664 
			 Lancashire 3,248 3,257 3,245 3,179 3,255 3,304 3,339 3,550 3,551 3,583 3,566 
			 Leicestershire 1,949 1,983 1,993 1,993 2,032 2,100 2,114 2,277 2,283 2,250 2,225 
			 Lincolnshire 1,196 1,191 1,140 1,115 1,202 1,198 1,221 1,228 1,221 1,213 1,221 
			 London, City of 859 825 778 732 703 764 808 853 876 869 854 
			 Merseyside 4,230 4,216 4,211 4,085 4,081 4,125 4,099 4,122 4,317 4,269 4,413 
			 Metropolitan Police 26,677 26,094 26,073 25,485 24,878 26,223 27,984 29,735 30,710 30,536 30,710 
			 Norfolk 1,432 1,430 1,381 1,381 1,420 1,468 1,499 1,510 1,544 1,557 1,565 
			 Northamptonshire 1,177 1,169 1,137 1,117 1,157 1,214 1,210 1,239 1,267 1,317 1,281 
			 Northumbria 3,677 3,769 3,840 3,788 3,857 3,929 3,943 4,040 4,048 3,983 3,917 
			 North Yorkshire 1,338 1,367 1,337 1,283 1,305 1,417 1,444 1,529 1,543 1,636 1,654 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,323 2,323 2,225 2,204 2,275 2,330 2,411 2,484 2,502 2,477 2,410 
			 South Yorkshire 3,159 3,182 3,168 3,163 3,197 3,199 3,183 3,279 3,265 3,255 3,254 
			 Staffordshire 2,211 2,292 2,238 2,170 2,129 2,133 2,202 2,266 2,280 2,272 2,288 
			 Suffolk 1,174 1,186 1,190 1,145 1,133 1,203 1,253 1,304 1,313 1,300 1,342 
			 Surrey 1,620 1,608 1,662 1,785 2,066 1,992 1,906 1,913 1,915 1,922 1,914 
			 Sussex 3,085 2,996 2,847 2,822 2,855 2,893 2,989 3,039 3,044 3,092 3,077 
			 Thames Valley 3,695 3,776 3,748 3,740 3,703 3,762 3,833 4,034 4,114 4,229 4,197 
			 Warwickshire 926 924 908 900 926 969 997 1,008 1,011 1,032 1,059 
			 West Mercia 2,040 2,010 2,025 1,887 1,951 2,018 2,256 2,355 2,367 2,351 2,400 
			 West Midlands 7,113 7,156 7,321 7,194 7,423 7,681 7,751 7,887 8,056 8,097 8,173 
			 West Yorkshire 5,209 5,155 4,982 4,822 4,815 4,889 5,029 5,275 5,631 5,644 5,655 
			 Wiltshire 1,154 1,156 1,151 1,118 1,120 1,157 1,158 1,217 1,222 1,219 1 ,204 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1,005 1,002 1,026 1,040 1,055 1,132 1,149 1,160 1,174 1,182 1,177 
			 Gwent 1,243 1,233 1,247 1,264 1,274 1,333 1,341 1,372 1,438 1,467 1,493 
			 North Wales 1,369 1,396 1,391 1,403 1,444 1,506 1,539 1,603 1,652 1,617 1,591 
			 South Wales 2,976 2,986 2,981 2,926 3,154 3,222 3,239 3,279 3,281 3,263 3,297 
			 Total England and Wales 125,051 124,756 123,841 121,956 123,476 127,267 131,426 137,105 139,491 139,631 140,032 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (2) Full-time equivalent excludes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave (3) Boundary changes on 1 April 1996 transferred resources for the policing of the Rhmney Valley from South Wales Police to Gwent Police. (4) Boundary changes on 1 April 2000 transferred some resources from the Metropolitan Police to Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey police forces. (5) Comparable strength (excludes those on career breaks, or maternity/paternity leave). The Police Numbers Task Force (2001) recommended that a clear presentation was made of the numbers of staff employed by police forces including those seconded into the force and those on any type of long or short term absence. These new calculations were first used in 2003, and are not comparable with data prior to March 2003. The data from 2003 onwards used here are termed comparable because they have been calculated on the old basis to allow comparison.

TREASURY

Excise Duties: Diesel Fuel

Mark Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to minimise the financial impact on pleasure boat users of the end of the UK's derogation allowing the sale of rebated gas oil for pleasure boating.

Angela Eagle: Officials have been discussing with various representative organisations ways of implementing the new regime which will both minimise the impact on pleasure boat users, and ensure that any additional compliance burden is as small as possible. As part of this process, HMRC published at 1 August 2007 a consultation on options for the implementation of the new regime. As announced at Budget 2007, private pleasure craft owners will continue to be able to use red diesel at the rebated duty rate until 1 November 2008.

Marriage

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) marriage and  (b) divorce rate of each ethnic group was in each year since 1980.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 October 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary questions asking for marriage and divorce rates for each ethnic group for persons, and then separately for males and females, for each year from 1980 (158641).
	In England and Wales the ethnicity of either partner is not recorded at the registration of a marriage nor at the recording of a divorce by the Court Service. I am, therefore, unable to provide you with the statistics you requested.

Migrant Workers

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimates of the number of migrant workers in the UK are in each year from 1997 to 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 October 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the number of employed people in the United Kingdom who were migrant workers from 1997 to 2012. (158565)
	The attached table gives the number of employed people aged 16 and over who were either United Kingdom or foreign born, for the three month period ending June, for each year since 1997 up to 2007. Comparable estimates are not available for 1998 and 2000. Projections of migrant workers to 2012 are not available from either the Labour Force Survey (LFS) nor the National Population Projections.
	When interpreting the figures in the table, it is important to bear in mind that the Labour Force Survey (LFS) is not designed to cover everyone who is present in the UK. The survey may undercount the numbers of people who were born overseas for the following reasons:-
	The LFS sample covers people living in private households, those in national health service (NHS) accommodation, and students living in halls of residence who have a UK-resident parent. Students living in halls of residence who do not have a UK-resident parent are not covered by the sample.
	The LFS does not cover people living in other types of communal establishment (such as hostels, hotels, boarding houses, or mobile home sites).
	Individuals living at sampled addresses are generally included in the survey only if they regard the address as their main residence. Those who have been living at the address for less than six months are not eligible to take part in the survey.
	The survey results are weighted to estimates of the 'usually resident' UK population living in private households, NHS accommodation and student halls of residence. The population figures cover long-term international migrants (people who change their country of usual residence for 12 months or more). They do not include people moving to the UK for less than 12 months, nor do they exclude from the usually resident population people moving out of the UK for less than 12 months.
	The LFS estimates at this detailed level are only consistent with the UK population estimates published in February and March 2003 and they do not incorporate the more recent population estimates that are used in the headline LFS series.
	Estimates are taken from the LFS. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Number of people in employment of working age( 1 ) who were born abroad 1997-2007—United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousands 
			  Three months ending June each year  All persons( 2)  Born in UK  Born  a broad 
			 1997 25,544 23,638 1,904 
			 1999 26,060 24,056 2,003 
			 2001 26,607 24,431 2,169 
			 2002 26,735 24,426 2,305 
			 2003 26,935 24,473 2,460 
			 2004 27,015 24,471 2,544 
			 2005 27,136 24,444 2,687 
			 2006 27,187 24,177 3,009 
			 2007 27,226 23,948 3,269 
			 (1) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59. (2) Includes those who did not state their country of birth.  Notes: It should be noted that the country of birth question in the LFS: -excludes those who have not been resident in the UK -excludes students in halls who do not have a UK resident parent -excludes people in most other types of communal establishment (eg hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc) -is grossed to population estimates that only include migrants staying for twelve months or more -microdata is only grossed to population estimates consistent with those published in spring which are significantly lower that the latest population estimates. Comparable data not available for 1998 and 2000.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Population

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the size of the likely UK population in each year until 2050; what it was in each of the last seven years; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 October 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question regarding the estimated population for each year until 2050 and the population for each of the previous seven years. (158572)
	The attached table shows the total population for 1999 to 2050, for the United Kingdom. The latest available population estimates relate to 2006. The latest population projections are 2004-based. New 2006-based national population projections will be published on 23 October 2007.
	
		
			  Total population United Kingdom 
			  Year  Million 
			  Population estimates 
			 1999 58.7 
			 2000 58.9 
			 2001 59.1 
			 2002 59.3 
			 2003 59.6 
			 2004 59.8 
			 2005 60.2 
			 2006 60.6 
			   
			  Population projections 
			 2007 60.8 
			 2008 61.1 
			 2009 61.4 
			 2010 61.6 
			 2011 61.9 
			 2012 62.2 
			 2013 62.4 
			 2014 62.7 
			 2015 63.0 
			 2016 63.3 
			 2017 63.6 
			 2018 63.9 
			 2019 64.2 
			 2020 64.4 
			 2021 64.7 
			 2022 65.0 
			 2023 65.3 
			 2024 65.5 
			 2025 65.8 
			 2026 66.0 
			 2027 66.2 
			 2028 66.4 
			 2029 66.6 
			 2030 66.8 
			 2031 67.0 
			 2032 67.2 
			 2033 67.3 
			 2034 67.5 
			 2035 67.6 
			 2036 67.8 
			 2037 67.9 
			 2038 68.0 
			 2039 68.1 
			 2040 68.2 
			 2041 68.4 
			 2042 68.5 
			 2043 68.6 
			 2044 68.7 
			 2045 68.8 
			 2046 68.8 
			 2047 68.9 
			 2048 69.0 
			 2049 69.1 
			 2050 69.2 
			  Source: Office for National Statistics mid-year estimates; Government Actuary's Department 2004-based national population projections

Population

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the proportion of the UK population which was born abroad in  (a) 2000 and  (b) 2006; and what he expects it to be in (i) 2010, (ii) 2020, (iii) 2030, (iv) 2040 and (v) 2050.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Mike Hughes, dated 19 October 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the proportion of the UK population which was born abroad in (a) 2000 and (b) 2006; and what it is expected to be in (i) 2020, (ii) 2020, (iii) 2030, (iv) 2040 and (v) 2050. I am replying in her absence. (158573)
	Based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the proportion of the UK population that was foreign born in 2000 was 7.6%. The equivalent proportion in 2006 was 10.0%.
	There are no official projections of the proportion of the UK population that is foreign born.
	When interpreting these figures, it is important to bear in mind that the Labour Force Survey (LFS) is designed to capture all people in the UK living in a private household or NHS accommodation. Some UK residents are not captured by the LFS including students living in halls of residence who do not have a UK-resident parent, and people living in other types of communal establishment (such as hostels, hotels, boarding houses, or mobile home sites). These factors may contribute to the LFS giving a slight underestimate of the foreign born population as a proportion of the total UK population.
	As with any sample survey, LFS estimates are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Taxation: Bingo

Ian Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what plans he has to meet representatives of the Bingo Association to discuss the taxation regime which applies to its members;
	(2)  for what reason bingo operators have to pay both value added tax and gross profits tax;
	(3)  if he will commission a review of the taxation regime applying to the bingo industry.

Angela Eagle: The Chancellor keeps all taxes under review and decisions about gambling taxation are made at Budget alongside all tax and spending decisions. The Government take all relevant factors into consideration when establishing and maintaining fair regimes for gambling taxes.
	As part of the normal Budget process Ministers and officials have been in periodic contact with representatives of the bingo industry and will continue to meet them as part of the normal Budget process.

Teenage Pregnancy: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many conceptions among girls under 18 years old occurred in each London constituency in 2005.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many conceptions among girls under 18 years old occurred in each London constituency in 2005. (158989)
	Conception figures for girls aged under 18 are routinely published by local authorities and strategic health authorities. Figures cannot be provided by Parliamentary Constituency because of the risk of disclosing individual's information, due to small differences between the Parliamentary Constituency and local authority boundaries.
	The number and rate of conceptions to girls aged under 18 in each London Borough for 2005 are shown in the attached table. Figures for 2005 are provisional.
	Available figures are estimates of the number of conceptions that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or legal termination.
	
		
			  Conceptions to girls aged under 18: Numbers and rates by area of usual residence. London boroughs, 2005( 1) 
			  London borough  Number  Rate( 2) 
			 Camden 124 40 
			 Hackney and City of London 226 56 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 91 37 
			 Haringey 246 63 
			 Islington 156 56 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 68 28 
			 Lambeth 319 80 
			 Lewisham 316 70 
			 Newham 241 46 
			 Southwark 275 68 
			 Tower Hamlets 169 43 
			 Wandsworth 155 49 
			 Westminster City of 62 22 
			 Barking and Dagenham 191 64 
			 Barnet 167 29 
			 Bexley 164 36 
			 Brent 223 44 
			 Bromley 203 36 
			 Croydon 365 54 
			 Ealing 186 36 
			 Enfield 246 46 
			 Greenwich 259 63 
			 Harrow 127 30 
			 Havering 150 33 
			 Hillingdon 218 44 
			 Hounslow 166 43 
			 Kingston upon Thames 70 27 
			 Merton 104 33 
			 Redbridge 164 33 
			 Richmond upon Thames 57 20 
			 Sutton 109 31 
			 Waltham Forest 192 48 
			 (1) Figures for 2005 are provisional. (2) Rate per 1,000 females aged 15-17.  Note: To preserve confidentiality, counts for the City of London have been combined with those for Hackney LB.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Defence Export Services Organisation

Charles Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what consultations were undertaken before the decision was made to move the Defence Export Services Organisation into UK Trade and Investment.

Bob Ainsworth: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 17 September 2007,  Official Report, column 2172W, to the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth).

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics when she expects the Olympic Delivery Authority's budget to be announced.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 15 October 2007
	On 15 March 2007,  Official Report, column 450, I announced an Olympic Delivery Authority budget of £.3 billion (net of tax). This formed part of the overall funding provision for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games of £9.325 billion.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Amnesty International: Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations he has received from Amnesty International on abortion-related issues; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: I have received no recent representations from Amnesty International on abortion-related issues.
	DFID believes that no woman should die or suffer because of unsafe abortion. Abortion should not be promoted as a form of family planning. But if women seek abortion through failure of contraception or lack of control over the circumstances in which they become pregnant, abortion should be available, safe and linked to post-abortion care, including contraception and HIV prevention services. This is in line with the consensus agreed at the International Conference for Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994.
	Sexual and reproductive health is an essential element of good health and human development. More progress is needed on sexual and reproductive health to meet many of the millennium development goals, particularly those concerned with child and maternal health, HIV and AIDS and other communicable diseases, gender equality and achieving universal primary education.

Departments: Marie Stopes International Conference

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the Ministers from his Department who will be  (a) attending and  (b) speaking at the Marie Stopes International Conference being held at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre on 23 to 24 October; whether his Department will be contributing (i) direct funding, (ii) informal support and (iii) personnel; whether there are restrictions on the use of these contributions; whether officials from his Department will (1) attend and (2) participate; if he will place in the Library material produced for the conference by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: DFID officials will be participating in the Marie Stopes international global safe abortion conference. However no DFID Ministers will be attending or speaking at the conference. DFID is not providing funding, informal support or producing any material for the Conference.
	DFID believes that no woman should die or suffer because of unsafe abortion. Abortion should not be promoted as a form of family planning. But if women seek abortion through failure of contraception or lack of control over the circumstances in which they become pregnant, abortion should be available, safe and linked to post-abortion care, including contraception and HIV prevention services. This is in line with the consensus agreed at the International Conference for Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994.
	Sexual and reproductive health is an essential element of good health and human development. More progress is needed on sexual and reproductive health to meet many of the millennium development goals, particularly those concerned with child and maternal health, HIV and AIDS and other communicable diseases, gender equality and achieving universal primary education.

Developing Countries: Health Education

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the role of sexual and reproductive health education in achieving the sixth millennium development goal, of combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

Shahid Malik: Education, including sexual and reproductive health education, is one of the most significant factors in preventing the spread of HIV in the next generation. In Swaziland, two-thirds of teenage girls in school are free from HIV, while two-thirds of girls out of school have HIV. Girls, boys and adults with more education are more likely to have knowledge of key prevention techniques, including condoms to help prevent HIV infection and insecticide impregnated bed nets to prevent malaria infection, and more able to persuade their partners, and in the case of bed nets, families, to use them.
	DFID has funded two major research programmes that included assessing the impact of sexual and reproductive health education. These are the 'Safe passages to adulthood' programme at Southampton university (with a £2 million grant) and the Transitions to Adulthood' programme, run by then Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) and the Population Council (with a £5 million DFID grant). Early AGI findings from research in four developing countries (Burkina Faso, Malawi, Ghana and Uganda) demonstrate that the impact of sex education varies with the country and cultural context, as well as with methods of teaching used. In Uganda, for example, there was 8.5 times the use of condoms among those that had sex education, compared to those that did not. However, this finding was not replicated in all contexts. 40 per cent. of women who had been given a practical demonstration on how to use a condom reported using one at their last sexual encounter, whereas only 30 per cent. who had not received the demonstration reported using a condom.

Developing Countries: Health Education

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of sexual and reproductive health education in developing countries.

Shahid Malik: DFID has funded two major research programmes that included assessing the impact of sexual and reproductive health education. These are the 'Safe passages to adulthood' programme at Southampton university (with a £2 million grant) and the Transitions to Adulthood' programme, run by then Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) and the Population Council (with a £5 million DFID grant). Early AGI findings from research in four developing countries (Burkina Faso, Malawi, Ghana and Uganda) demonstrate that the impact of sex education varies with the country and cultural context, as well as with methods of teaching used. In Uganda, for example, there was 8.5 times the use of condoms among those that had sex education, compared to those that did not. However, this finding was not replicated in all contexts. 40 per cent. of women who had been given a practical demonstration on how to use a condom reported using one at their last sexual encounter, whereas only 30 per cent. who had not received the demonstration reported using a condom.
	A special issue of the African Journal of Reproductive Health, 'Protecting the next generation', providing evidence from the AGI work will be published later this year.
	Education, including sexual and reproductive health education, is one of the most significant factors in preventing the spread of HIV in the next generation.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Domestic Wastes: Broxbourne

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice or consultancy services  (a) the Waste Resources Action Programme and  (b) his Department has provided to Broxbourne council in relation to charging for domestic rubbish collection or charging for containers which will hold domestic rubbish.

Joan Ruddock: No advice or consultancy services have been provided by DEFRA on these issues. The Waste and Resources Action Programme is currently considering a request for help from Broxbourne council, received on 16 October, for help with communications to increase participation in recycling.

Environment Agency: Flood Control

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of changes in the funding of  (a) the Environment Agency and  (b) British Waterways on the provision of flood defence.

Phil Woolas: The changes in the funding applied to the Environment Agency's non-capital spend which funded items such as staff costs, operational spend and maintenance of defences. Funding for capital projects for new and improved defences to reduce risk was not cut and no current or planned capital improvement projects were delayed as a result. Funding to British Waterways was also reduced but these changes did not have a material impact on the provision of flood defence by British Waterways.

Fly Tipping: Domestic Wastes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of fly-tipping incidents were accounted for by household waste in each year for which the Flycapture database holds figures.

Joan Ruddock: Flycapture, the national fly-tipping database, records the number of incidents of fly-tipping in which household waste is the predominate waste type. It does not record whether it is householders, businesses or illegal waste operators that actually fly-tip the waste.
	The following table lists the percentage of fly-tips classified as household waste since Flycapture was introduced:
	
		
			  Flycapture year  Percentage of household waste 
			 2004-05 55.4 
			 2005-06 76.7 
			 2006-07 77.0 
		
	
	2004-05 was the first year of the Flycapture database with 174 (49 per cent.) of local authorities submitting the required 12 monthly returns. This rose to 313 (88 per cent.) in 2005-06 and 323 (91 per cent.) in 2006-07.

White Fish: Conservation

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the conservation of sea bass stocks.

Jonathan R Shaw: Scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) suggests that the bass stock is fished sustainably.
	Current European Union legislation protects sea bass by specifying a minimum landing size (MLS) of 36 centimetres, below which bass cannot be landed, and corresponding mesh sizes to be used for both fixed and trawl gear when bass is targeted. Some Sea Fisheries Committees (SFCs) have introduced a higher MLS of 37.5 centimetres which applies within the relevant district. The UK has also designated 37 specified areas in which bass fishing from a boat is prohibited.
	I am currently considering the evidence for increasing the MLS for bass in England, and will make an announcement shortly.

SCOTLAND

Departments: Manpower

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and what percentage of employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) executive agency and (ii) non-departmental public body funded by his Department are above state retirement age.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office does not directly employ any staff; all staff are seconded from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice, as necessary. The Office does not hold personnel records that would allow age to be determined.

Departments: Official Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent by his Department on official hospitality in the last 12 months.

David Cairns: Scotland Office hospitality expenditure for the last financial year is detailed as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Hospitality expenditure  (£) 
			 2006-07 23,411 
		
	
	All expenditure, including that on hospitality, has been incurred in accordance with the principles of Government Accounting and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departments: Secondment

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff are seconded to his Department from outside Government; from which outside body each has been seconded; and what the length is of each secondment.

David Cairns: None.

Departments: Surveys

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on  (a) opinion polling and  (b) market research in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office spent £17,000 in 2006-07 on market research.

Elections

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had since the Scottish parliamentary elections in May 2007 with returning officers on auto-adjudication during the counting.

David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 8 October 2007,  Official Report column 7W.

Elections

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information his Department provided to the inquiry led by Ron Gould into the conduct of Scottish elections in May 2007 on auto-adjudication without human supervision; and if he will make a statement.

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information his Department has provided to the inquiry led by Ron Gould into the conduct of the Scottish elections in May 2007 on automatic adjudication of ballot papers without human supervision.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office has provided information to the Gould inquiry about electronic counting which includes reference to user agreements. User agreements, where auto-adjudication is specified, were signed by each returning officer, who have statutory responsibility for the adjudication of ballot papers. The Scotland Office did not take any decisions on the inclusion of auto-adjudication and passed no specific information about it to the inquiry.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Cotswold Heritage Academy: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support he has made available to the Cotswold Heritage Academy; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him on 2 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1591, by my hon. Friend the Member for Tottenham (Mr. Lammy).

Creative Economy White Paper

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to publish the Creative Economy White Paper.

Margaret Hodge: A Green Paper on the Creative Economy is expected to be published in the near future.

Culture: Expenditure

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on the culture part of its responsibilities in each year since 1995-96 at constant 2007-08 prices.

Margaret Hodge: The table shows how much the Department for Culture, Media and Sport spent on the Culture part of its responsibilities, from 1995-06 to 2006-07 at 2007-08 prices.
	
		
			   £ 
			 1995-96 1102.2 
			 1996-07 962.0 
			 1997-08 918.5 
			 1998—09 809.6 
			 1999-2000 860.7 
			 2000-01 870.4 
			 2001-02 888.7 
			 2002-03 956.4 
			 2003-04 (1)1562.1 
			 2004-05 1036.8 
			 2005-06 1091.1 
			 2006-07 1142.5 
			 (1)2003-04 figures increased due to certain NDPBs joining the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS).

Departments: General Elections

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contingency preparations his Department made for the possibility of a general election in autumn 2007; and what the costs were of those preparations.

Margaret Hodge: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Edward Miliband) on 15 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 822-23W.

Departments: Manpower

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what percentage of employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) executive agency and (ii) non-departmental public body funded by his Department are above state retirement age.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Using the current state retirement age of 65 for men and 60 for women, in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) there are nine (1.76 per cent.) employees above state retirement age. The Royal Parks Agency has one (1 per cent.) employee above state retirement age. DCMS does not hold centrally the information you have requested for the non-departmental public bodies funded by the department and this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Official Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by his Department on official hospitality in the last 12 months.

Margaret Hodge: Expenditure on official hospitality is made in accordance with principles of government accounting, Treasury handbook on regularity and propriety as well as the Department's internal guidance on hospitality. The Department's expenditure on hospitality in the last 12 months (to September 2007) was £74,979.

Departments: Railways

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by his Department on first class train tickets in the last 12 months.

Margaret Hodge: The departmental expenditure on first class train tickets ordered via the Department's contracted travel agent was £81,157 in the last financial year. This amount excludes some travel booked directly which can be identified only at disproportionate cost.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.

Listed Buildings

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many listed buildings were  (a) substantially damaged and  (b) destroyed in each year since 1997-98.

Margaret Hodge: Neither DCMS nor English Heritage collects data on how many listed buildings have been substantially damaged or destroyed. The management and care of listed buildings through the consent regime lies in the main with local authorities.

Listed Buildings

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what obligations there are on the owners of listed buildings to ensure they are fully insured.

Margaret Hodge: There are no specific legal obligations on the owners of listed buildings to ensure they are fully insured. Guidance for owners is available in the joint English Heritage/Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors publication "Insuring your historic building".

Local Government Finance: Arts

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much grant money has been awarded to each county council in England for arts projects in the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: This information is shown in the table
	
		
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Durham 39,752 39,752 39,752 39,752 39,752 
			 Cumbria 37,609 38,552 39,516 40,700 41,900 
			 Kent 80,000 82,000 85,000 160,000 200,000 
			 Derbyshire 12,306 12,615 30,430 48,040 49,359 
			 Leicestershire 12,306 28,400 51,109 48,041 49,361 
			 Lincolnshire 43,716 81,561 83,600 99,276 71,179 
			 Northamptonshire 36,706 37,625 38,565 29,091 21,771 
			 Nottinghamshire 56,936 74,787 75,830 77,366 79,492

Sports: Betting

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings his Department has had with representatives from sporting national governing bodies on betting in sport in the last three years; and on what dates these meetings took place.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 17 October 2007
	 I met national sports governing bodies primarily to discuss betting on sports on the following dates:
	27 February 2007—Premier League
	29 March 2007—England and Wales Cricket Board
	20 April 2007—Professional Footballers Association
	There were round table meetings between my Department and the governing bodies of five sports (football, cricket, rugby union, rugby league and tennis) on 18 April 2006, 6 November 2006 and 15 June 2007, at which the issue of betting on sport was also raised.
	In addition, there have been numerous meetings between Ministers or officials of my Department and sports where sports betting was one item on a larger agenda.

Sports: Betting

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings his Department has had with representatives of the betting industry on betting in sport in the last three years; and on what dates such meetings took place.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 17 October 2007
	I met the chief executive of Ladbrokes to discuss sports betting on 28 March 2007, and met representatives of the Association of British Bookmakers for the same reason on 13 June 2007.
	In addition, there have been numerous meetings between Ministers or officials of my Department and betting organisations where sports betting was one item on a larger agenda.

Tourism

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from his Department have had with representatives of the tourism industry in the last six months.

Margaret Hodge: DCMS Ministers and officials have held a full programme of meetings with the tourism industry since April 2007, reflecting the importance of the sector within the Department.
	This has included meetings with individual companies and representative bodies in the private sector; and with VisitBritain, the Regional Development Agencies, and other representatives of the public sector in tourism.
	With my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, I have also twice met representatives of the sector in the Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group.

VisitBritain: Cooperation

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans there are to review the relationship between VisitBritain and Enjoy England; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 15 October 2007
	 Changes have recently been made to the relationship between the England Marketing Advisory Board and VisitBritain.
	The board, which advises VisitBritain on its domestic marketing work has been re-named VisitEngland. In future, it will take a more active role in the tourism marketing of England, and will be responsible for VisitBritain's domestic remit. The VisitEngland Board will also be made more representative of the domestic tourism sector.
	These changes have been fully discussed with the tourism industry, and the public sector organisations which support it, through bodies coming together and working together in a series of seminars organised by the Partners for England. VisitEngland will now work with Partners for England to re-invigorate, as well as better co-ordinate, English public sector tourism support.
	The changes have the full support of DCMS, as I was very pleased to demonstrate by attending the VisitEngland launch event in York on 10 October.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Council Tax Benefits: Pensioners

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the take-up rate of council tax benefit amongst pensioners was in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: Estimates of take-up for 1996-97 can be found in "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-up in 1997-98". Estimates of take-up in 2005-06, the most recent year for which figures are available, can be found in "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-up in 2005-06". Copies of these reports are available in the Library.
	Methodological changes introduced since 1997-98 were not applied to estimates for 1996-97, so any changes over time should be treated with caution.

Departments: Internet

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many websites his Department operates; how many it operated at 1 January 2005; and what the estimated annual cost has been of running his Department's websites in the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The Department of Work and Pensions currently operates 21 websites. On 1 January 2005, the Department operated 25 websites.
	Production, management and maintenance of DWP websites is carried out by the Department's own in-house E-Communications team. It is not possible to quantify internal costs for each site.
	Contracted and quantifiable costs have been included where possible—these include payments to suppliers for services such as research, user testing and site builds, and payment to interim personnel.
	Table A lists those websites operated by Department for Work and Pensions where the Department is responsible for the content.
	
		
			  Table A 
			  £ 
			   Contracted and quantifiable costs 
			  Website name and address  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Department for Work and Pensions—www.dwp.gov.uk 0 0 101,467 1,954 8,116 
			 Jobcentre Plus—www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk — — — 17,183,000 — 
			 The Pension Service—www.thepensionservice.gov.uk 188,093 186,950 0 182,000 0 
			 Child Support Agency—www.csa.gov.uk — — 0 31,000 0 
			 Age Positive—www.agepositive.gov.uk — — 0 — 0 
			 Benefit Fraud Inspectorate—www.bfi.gov.uk — — — — 0 
			 Office for Disability Issues—www.officefordisability.gov.uk — — — — 46,000 
			 European Social Fund—www.esf.gov.uk — — 0 41,000 0 
			 Rent Service—www.therentservice.gov.uk — — — — — 
			 Totals 188,093 186,950 101,467 17,438,954 54,116 
			 — = Figures are not available.  Note: The figure for the financial year 2005/06 includes the cost of hosting, supporting, maintaining and developing the Jobcentre Plus website and its transactional services. It would incur disproportionate cost to obtain figures for previous financial years and more complete information for 2006-07. 
		
	
	Table B lists those websites operated by the Department for Work and Pensions where the Department is not responsible for the content.
	
		
			  Table B 
			  £ 
			   Contracted and quantifiable costs 
			  Website name and address  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Disability Employment Advisory Committee—www.deac.org.uk — — — — 0 
			 Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board—www.dlaab.org.uk — — — — 0 
			 Employer Task Force—www.employertaskforce.org.uk n/a n/a n/a — 0 
			 Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force—www.emetaskforce.gov.uk — — — — 0 
			 Images of Disability—www.imagesofdisability.gov.uk n/a n/a n/a — 0 
			 Independent Case Examiner—www.ind-case-exam.org.uk — — — — 0 
			 Industrial Injuries Advisory Council—www.iiac.org.uk — — — — 0 
			 National Employment Panel—www.nationalemploymentpanel.gov.uk — — — — 0 
			 Pensions At Work—www.pensionsatwork.gov.uk n/a n/a — — 0 
			 Pensions Commission—www.pensionscommission.org.uk n/a — — — 0 
			 Fair Cities—www.faircities.net n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 
			 Social Security Advisory Committee—www.ssac.org.uk — — — — 0 
			 Total — — — — 0 
			 — = Figures are not available n/a = Site yet to be launched.

Departments: Internet

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many hits the  (a) most and  (b) least popular website run by his Department has received since 1st January 2007.

Mike O'Brien: The visitor statistics for the most popular and least popular websites run by the Department for Work and Pensions during the period 1 January to 31 August 2007 are as follows:
	
		
			  Website   Visitors  Unique visitors 
			  (a) Jobcentre Plus www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk 80,014,136 (1)35,295,624 
			(2)19,337,955 
			  (b) Disability Employment Advisory Committee www.deac.org.uk 8,509 2,246 
			 (1 )By IP address (2) By page tagging  Notes: 1. Hits—This statistic is not used because it is not a reliable measure of how many pages are being looked at. It does not provide information about how many people visit the site. 2. Visits—Number of times a visitor or visitors came to the site. Each visit is recorded separately for every visit more than 30 minutes apart. 3. Unique visitors—Individuals who visited the site during the report period. If someone visits more than once, they are counted only the first time they visit. For Jobcentre Plus, unique visitors are counted in two different ways, and both measures are included here for consistency with other PQs.

Employment: EC Action

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the provisions of Article 5 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union regarding employment and the provision that the Union shall take measures to ensure co-ordination of the employment policies of the member states, in particular by defining guidelines for these policies; whether there will be shared competence with the European Union as a result of these provisions; and if he will make a statement on the legal consequences of this provision and the other provisions of the Treaty for employment in the UK.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 15 October 2007
	The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union does not change the existing provisions relating to the co-ordination of employment policies, currently set out in the Employment Title (VIII) of the Treaty establishing the EU under Articles 125-130. The employment provision in Article five relates to the Lisbon Strategy for Jobs and Growth, whereby all member states agree non-binding guidelines on employment and report annually on their main employment policies that relate to the Guidelines. This is principally to generate exchange of good practice on reforms that will help increase employment across the EU. This process is also supported by the European Social Fund.
	The UK strategy of employment opportunity for all is seen as a good model and delivers the common EU outcomes necessary for more and better jobs. The UK is one of only four member states to have attained and surpassed the Lisbon employment rate target of 70 per cent.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of people ceasing to claim jobseeker's allowance had  (a) moved immediately onto other benefits and  (b) returned to (i) jobseeker's allowance and (ii) other benefits (A) up to six months, (B) between six and 12 months and (C) more than 12 months after leaving benefit in each year since 1992.

James Plaskitt: The available information has been placed in the Library.

National Insurance: Foreign Workers

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many foreign nationals in the Forest of Dean district were issued with national insurance numbers in  (a) the last year for which figures are available and  (b) each of the preceding four years.

James Plaskitt: Information is not available prior to 2004. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Registrations for national insurance numbers by foreign nationals in the Forest of Dean district council area 
			  Year of registration  Number of registrations 
			 2004-05 140 
			 2005-06 240 
			 2006-07 250 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. 4. Local authority counts are based on the most recently recorded address of the NINO recipient.  Source: 100 per cent. sample at 25 June 2005, 17 June 2006 and 14 May 2007 from the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS).

National Insurance: Foreign Workers

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many foreign nationals in the Milton Keynes unitary authority were issued with national insurance numbers in  (a) the last year for which figures are available and  (b) each of the preceding four years.

James Plaskitt: Information is not available prior to 2004. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  National insurance number registrations in respect of non-UK Nationals in Milton Keynes local authority 
			  Year of registration  Registrations 
			 2004-05 2,330 
			 2005-06 2,950 
			 2006-07 3,220 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Numbers are based on 100 per cent. data from the national insurance recording system (NIRS). 4. Local authority is assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. 5. Local authority counts are based on the most recently recorded address of the NINO recipient.  Source: 100 per cent sample at 25 June 2005, 17 June 2006 and 14 May 2007 from the national insurance recording system

Pension Credit: Take Up

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners who are entitled to pension credit but do not claim it; what steps he is taking to reduce that number; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Latest estimates of the number of pensioners eligible for but not claiming pension credit can be found in "Pension Credit Estimates of Take-Up in 2005/2006". A copy of the report is available in the Library.
	The Pension Service is undertaking a wide range of steps to encourage eligible pensioners to claim pension credit. In 2006-07 around 2.8 million direct mailings were issued to customers who may have an entitlement to pension credit.
	The Pension Service Local Service offers face-to-face visits to potentially eligible and vulnerable pensioners during which full benefit entitlement checks are carried out. Nearly one million home visits were conducted during 2006-07.
	The Pension Service Local Service is continuing to work closely with local partners (including local authorities and voluntary organisations such as Help the Aged and Age Concern) on pension credit take-up activity. There are now 184 operational Joint Working Partnerships enabling the Pension Service Local Service, local authorities and the voluntary sector to provide a single point of access to social care and benefit entitlement.
	In addition, we have modernised our service and encourage take up by enabling new customers who call to claim their state pension, to also apply for pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit in a single telephone call if appropriate.

Pension Service: Pensions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of the staff at the Pensions Service are entitled to a final salary pension scheme.

Mike O'Brien: 96 per cent. of staff in the Pension Service are members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme which is a final salary pension scheme.

Pensions: Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Chorley constituency are in receipt of pension credit.

Mike O'Brien: As at May 2007 4,200 households (5,180 individuals) in the Chorley constituency were receiving pension credit.
	 Notes:
	1. The figures provided are early estimates. The preferred data source for figures supplied by DWP is the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). However, the figures provided are the latest available figures which are taken from the GMS scan at 1 June 2007. These are adjusted using the historical relationship between WPLS and GMS data to give an estimate of the final WPLS figure.
	2. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10.
	3. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory and are therefore based on the 2005 parliamentary boundaries.
	4. Households are those people who claim Pension Credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household.
	 Source:
	DWP 100 per cent. data from the Generalised Matching Service (GMS) Pension Credit scan taken as at 1 June 2007.

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of  (a) the projected cost of the Financial Assistance Scheme in each of the next 30 years and  (b) the additional funding required to meet his commitment on match-funding following the publication of the interim Young report.

Mike O'Brien: The information is as follows.
	 (a) The following table shows the estimated total annual cash cost over the next 30 years of providing FAS at the level announced by the Chancellor on 21 March 2007.
	
		
			   Cash cost (£ million) 
			 2008-09 40 
			 2009-10 53 
			 2010-11 60 
			 2011-12 64 
			 2012-13 68 
			 2013-14 78 
			 2014-15 89 
			 2015-16 102 
			 2016-17 113 
			 2017-18 122 
			 2018-19 130 
			 2019-20 135 
			 2020-21 145 
			 2021-22 159 
			 2022-23 168 
			 2023-24 176 
			 2024-25 185 
			 2025-26 195 
			 2026-27 203 
			 2027-28 214 
			 2028-29 223 
			 2029-30 228 
			 2030-31 234 
			 2031-32 238 
			 2032-33 240 
			 2033-34 241 
			 2034-35 241 
			 2035-36 240 
			 2036-37 238 
			 2037-38 234 
			  Note: Costs are rounded to the nearest £1 million and are expressed in 2006-07 prices 
		
	
	 (b) The Young review will identify what additional value can be attained from the assets in FAS pension funds. The Government will set out the details of its approach to match funding once the Young review has been published.

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the maximum percentage payment under the Financial Assistance scheme is of the pension lost; and whether the payment is dependent upon the level of contributions made.

Mike O'Brien: Payments from the Financial Assistance scheme (FAS) reflect 80 per cent. of the core pension an individual could have expected to receive from their pension scheme. Payments are currently subject to a cap of £12,000 a year and as previously announced we are raising the cap to £26,000 a year.
	The Young Review of Pension scheme assets is expected to report back in November, and we have already committed to match the additional value it identifies with the goal of moving towards 90 per cent. of expected core pension for all recipients (subject to the cap).
	The expected core pension will reflect contributions made to the pension scheme by the sponsoring employer and the scheme member.

Social Security Benefits

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will commission research into rates of benefit take-up, broken down by  (a) gender and  (b) type of benefit; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Estimates of the take-up of the main income-related benefits—pension credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit and income-based jobseeker's allowance—are available in the DWP publication series entitled "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up". Copies of the latest publication, which describes patterns in take-up between 1997-98 and 2005-06, plus past reports, can be found in the Library.
	Where sample sizes and data sources allow, take-up statistics are broken down to enable comparisons by gender. In practice, we can provide analysis by gender only for income support, pension credit and income-based jobseeker's allowance. For council tax benefit and housing benefit, a gender breakdown of take-up rates is not possible.
	Information on the take-up of other DWP administered benefits is not available.

Social Security: Mortgages

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what changes have been made since May 1997 to the mortgage value threshold at which income support will stop paying mortgage interest, for mortgages taken out after October 1995.

James Plaskitt: There have been no changes to the upper capital limit for help towards mortgage interest since 10 April 1995, although it is kept under review.
	Generally help with interest payments is limited to the interest on the first £100,000 of outstanding loan capital for customers in receipt of income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance and state pension credit.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Chernobyl: Children

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Secretary of State for the Home Department and  (b) others on assisting the travel of Chernobyl-affected children to the UK for rest and recuperation; what effect the operation of biometric visas will have on the case of such travel; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not held any recent discussions with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on this matter, but officials propose to hold a stakeholder meeting in the very near future at which these issues will be raised.
	The Government recognise the value and benefit of allowing children who have been affected by Chernobyl to visit the UK for respite care. This is an important programme and we will continue to support the charitable work both in the UK and Belarus that facilitates these visits. In consultation with the charities we are actively looking for ways to minimise any difficulties that the introduction of biometrics might create. We had sought to establish a seasonal visa application centre (VAC) in Gomel Oblast through our commercial partner, Visa Facilitation Services (VFS). This would have provided a more convenient visa application point and a shorter journey for some of these children. Unfortunately, we have not been able to secure permission from the Belarus Government to allow our commercial partner to operate. Those living in southern Belarus might find it easier to travel to the VAC in Kiev, Ukraine to lodge their applications. Our embassy in Kiev will make the necessary arrangements to cater for individuals or groups.

Chernobyl: Children

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from  (a) the Government of Belarus,  (b) UK charities and  (c) others on the entry into the UK of Chernobyl-affected children; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I have received representations from the ambassador of Belarus, the Chernobyl Children's Project, the Chernobyl Children's Lifeline and several hon. Members. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him today (UIN 158550).

Departments: Freedom of Information

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Minister approved the use of the section 36 exemption of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 referred to in the letter of 11 October from his Department to the hon. Member for Billericay.

Kim Howells: The opinion of a qualified person (in the case of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) this is a Minister) has not yet been sought and the section 36 exemption has not yet been engaged. The FCO will write to the hon. Member urgently clarifying its position in accordance with section 17(1) of the Act.

Entry Clearances

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration has been given to the return of travel documents to visa applicants pending decisions in long-running cases.

Kim Howells: The relevant visa section will retain the applicant's travel documents until a decision has been made, as they are required to process the application. The applicant may withdraw their application at any time if they wish to have their travel documents returned.

Entry Clearances

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what system is in place to inform visa applicants of the progress of their applications.

Kim Howells: Applicants are not routinely informed of the progress of their application, except in those settlement cases where a Home Office referral is necessary; in these cases the applicant should receive a letter informing them of the revised timescale.
	If an applicant wishes to check the progress of their application they may do so by using the call centre or online service in countries where a commercial partner has been engaged. Where there is no commercial partner they may contact the visa section, in the country from which they are applying, using the contact details advertised on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website.
	Applicants are advised to check the website of the visa section of the country from which they wish to apply for the correct procedure.
	The FCO website address is:
	www.fco.gov.uk.

Libyan Arab Republic: Overseas Trade

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions on Anglo-Libyan trade with the British Council.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no plans to hold such discussions with the British Council, which does not have responsibility for our trade relations with Libya.
	The British Council's work in Libya focuses on helping to develop the Libyan education system and promoting English language skills. It does this through placing English language teachers in Libyan institutions and at the British Council's own teaching centre in Tripoli. My noble Friend the right hon. Lord Kinnock opened the new centre in September 2006. The British Council employs 32 teachers in Libya. The Council does have links with Libyan industry through its skills-development and language training programmes.
	The Government are committed to building strong trade relations with Libya through the combined work of UK Trade and Investment and our embassy in Tripoli. In addition, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials are in close contact with relevant trade and business organisations.

Members: Correspondence

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letters of  (a) 25 May 2007,  (b) 25 July 2007 and  (c) 4 September 2007 from the hon. Member for Weston-Super-Mare in relation to his constituent Mr. Ivor Chivers and his company Eco Solutions.

Jim Murphy: The hon. Member's letter of 25 May was received in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on 29 May. The letter dealt with a subject on which the FCO does not lead and was therefore transferred to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR), previously the Department of Trade and Industry, on 30 May. I can confirm that DBERR are currently dealing with this letter and have also received the two follow-up letters. The official in DBERR dealing with the hon. Member's original letter can be contacted on 020 7215 6638.

Members: Correspondence

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department and the British high commission visa section in Islamabad will reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West's letter of 26 June 2007 and further faxes of 26 July 2007 and 22 August 2007 on his constituent Mr Zahida Mubarik.

Kim Howells: The visa section of our high commission in Islamabad sent an e-mail to UKvisas regarding Ms Mubarik's application on 8 August 2007. Due to an administrative error both the visa section in Islamabad and UKvisas assumed that the other would reply to the hon. Member's representations. I apologise on behalf of UKvisas for the subsequent delay. You will receive a full written reply by the end of next week.
	The information and evidence submitted with Ms Mubarik's appeal was reviewed by an entry clearance manager (ECM) on 27 September. However, despite new evidence being submitted, the decision to refuse Ms Mubarik's entry clearance was upheld. The ECM's explanatory statement has now been dispatched to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in preparation for Ms Mubarik's appeal hearing.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he is having with his Saudi counterpart on Arab League proposals for peace in the middle east/Palestine.

Kim Howells: We very much welcome the work by the Arab League to take forward the Arab peace initiative. The international community has a key role to play in moving forward the peace process. I discussed the middle east peace process with His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed Bin Nawaf Al-Saud, the Saudi Arabia ambassador on 3 October. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary looks forward to discussing the Arab peace initiative further during the Saudi state visit later this month.

Saudi Arabia: Human Rights

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. We regularly discuss our concerns with the Saudi authorities at all levels. Human rights are also raised on our behalf by the EU, which has decided to keep the details of these discussions confidential.
	We are committed to encouraging Saudi Arabia to improve its human rights record and adhere to international human rights standards. The hon. Member may also welcome the recent increase in the activities by the National Society on Human Rights (NSHR). In May 2007 the NSHR published its first annual report on the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia, since it was established in 2004. This is a significant step forward.
	In addition on 1 October, a royal decree approved the new Judiciary Law and the Court of Grievances Law. The decree establishes a Supreme Court and an Appeal Court. It also establishes five specialised courts: General, Criminal, Labour, Commercial and Civil. The Grievance Bureau is replaced by a new three-tier system, which also includes Appeal and Supreme Courts. We welcome this announcement.

Switzerland: Asylum

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with his counterparts on the Security Council the relocation of UN offices away from Geneva until and unless the Swiss Government has a more enlightened policy on immigration and asylum.

Kim Howells: The Government have no plans to discuss this in the UN Security Council. This is not Security Council business and is an issue for the Swiss Government.

Tourists: Injuries

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the number of injuries sustained by UK citizens travelling outside the European economic area in each of the last five years, broken down by type of injury.

Kim Howells: We do not collect data on the types of injury suffered by UK citizens when travelling overseas.
	We do hold figures where our posts overseas are informed of a British national being hospitalised, although this will include both cases of illness and injury.
	Over the last five years, the number of cases outside the European Economic area where our posts have been informed of the hospitalisation of a British national, are as follows:
	
		
			   Cases 
			 2002-03 1,236 
			 2003-04 1,055 
			 2004-05 1,364 
			 2005-06 1,268 
			 2006-07 1,500

Tourists: Injuries

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate  (a) the number of enquiries which his Department receives annually from UK citizens about injuries sustained outside the European Economic Area,  (b) the number of these enquiries which are about compensation payments from travel insurance and  (c) the number of enquiries that complain about non-payment of compensation due to an injury type that is not covered by standard travel insurance policies.

Kim Howells: During 2006-07 we estimate that our posts overseas received 2,888,996 inquiries, covering all aspects of consular work. Of these 1,941,454 enquiries were received by posts outside the European economic area. We do not keep a statistical breakdown by subject matter.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to prevent alcohol abuse in England.

Ann Keen: The Government continues to show a sustained determination to tackle the harms caused by alcohol misuse.
	The "Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England", which was published in 2004, was the first cross-Government strategy to prevent any further increase in alcohol-related harms in England. The 2004 Strategy has been extremely successful. It has put in place the mechanisms needed to deliver the Government's objective of reducing alcohol-related harms and has made considerable progress across a range of issues—new police and licensing powers, the new voluntary alcohol labelling scheme and revised advice to women about alcohol and pregnancy, effective and popular advertising campaigns (e.g. 'Know Your Limits', 'Think!'), creation of the Drinkaware Trust and improving alcohol treatment services, for example, the publication of suite of guidance materials, such as the "Programme of Improvement and Models of Care for Alcohol Misuse".
	We are already beginning to see the benefits of this: reductions in crime and city centre violence and early signs of an end to the continued increase in levels of alcohol consumption. Nevertheless, the review of the 2004 Strategy, which the Government was committed to undertaking this year, identified more that the Government can and needs to do.
	The Government's renewed alcohol strategy," Safe. Sensible. Social.—the next steps in the National Alcohol Strategy", published in June, sets out the long-term objective, to minimise the health harms, violence and antisocial behaviour associated with alcohol, while ensuring that people are able to enjoy alcohol safely and responsibly.
	The Government plans to achieve this by seeking to:
	-ensure the laws and licensing powers we have introduced to tackle alcohol fuelled crime and disorder, protect young people and bear down on irresponsibly managed premises, are being used widely and effectively;
	-sharpen our focus on the minority of drinkers who cause or experience the most harm to themselves, their communities and their families. These are:
	-18-24 year old binge drinkers,
	-young people under 18 who drink alcohol,
	-Harmful drinkers; and
	-To shape an environment which actively promotes sensible drinking, for example through a £10 million investment in a sustained information and communications campaign to challenge public tolerance of drunkenness and drinking that causes harm to health and to raise the public's knowledge of units of alcohol and ensure that everyone has the information they need to estimate how much they really do drink..
	In addition, the Government are committed to commissioning an independent national review of evidence on the relationship between alcohol price, promotion and harm and, following public consultation, to consider the need for regulatory change in the future, if necessary. Reviews will also take place on the effectiveness of the alcohol industry's social responsibility standards in contributing to a reduction in alcohol harm, as well as on the effectiveness of the industry's social responsibility standards in contributing to a reduction in alcohol harm.
	The Government have also announced in their Comprehensive Spending Review, published on 9 October, a Home Office public service agreement target to reduce drug and alcohol harm. This includes a new national indicator to measure change in the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-attributable conditions, the first ever national commitment to monitor how the national health service is tackling alcohol harms through both intervention and treatment, which will operate from April 2008.
	The Government are determined that the steps that are set out in "Safe. Sensible. Social" will shape an environment which will minimise the health harms, violence and antisocial behaviour associated with alcohol, while ensuring that people are able to enjoy alcohol safely and responsibly.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what date he expects  (a) the NHS Breast Screening Programme to be extended to cover all women aged 47 to 73 years and  (b) everyone with breast problems to be seen by a specialist within two weeks, following a referral by their GP; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Further details on these two announcements will be made in the Cancer Reform Strategy, which we hope to publish later this year.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the availability of breast cancer screening for those considered high risk in Hertfordshire.

Ann Keen: The Department does not hold information centrally on specific clinics or services offered by individual trust or funded by individual primary care trusts (PCTs). The provision of services is a matter for agreement between trusts and their commissioning PCTs, in consultation with local stakeholders. This should take into consideration local needs and priorities while ensuring they meet core national standards for the delivery of health services.
	National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a clinical guideline on familial breast cancer in May 2004, partially updated in October 2006. The clinical guideline relates to the classification and care of women at risk of familial breast cancer in primary, secondary and tertiary care. The guideline recommends that women at moderate familial risk of breast cancer or greater should receive annual mammography or magnetic resonance imaging surveillance.
	NICE clinical guidelines are covered by the Department's developmental standards—standards which the national health service is expected to achieve over time. The Healthcare Commission has responsibility for assessing progress towards achieving these standards.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women had to wait longer than  (a) two weeks,  (b) one month and  (c) four months to be screened for breast cancer after referral by a GP in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by London borough.

Ann Keen: This information is not held in the format requested. A table showing breast cancer waiting times for the whole of England has been placed in the Library and is also available at:
	www.performance.doh.gov.uk/cancerwaits/2007/ql/can_l.html

Breast Cancer: Screening

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time is for a patient to be seen at a London Breast Screening Unit after referral by a GP.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not held centrally.
	The national health service breast screening programme is operated from local breast screening units, who send invitations to eligible women directly. If abnormalities are found on a woman's mammogram, an appointment at the local assessment clinic is made automatically by the local breast screening unit. General practitioners are not an integral part of the programme, but are kept fully informed of their patients' progress through the programme by being copied into results letters.

Breast Cancer: West Yorkshire

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many eligible women are on waiting lists for breast screening in West Yorkshire; and how many of these have been waiting over three years for screening.

Ann Keen: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 10 October 2007,  Official Report, column 668W.

Childbirth: Stockport

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies were born in NHS maternity units in Stockport primary care trust hospitals in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Mike Hughes, dated 19 October 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question about how many babies were born in NHS maternity units in Stockport Primary Care Trust hospitals in each year since 1997. I am replying in her absence. (158001)
	Figures on live births in hospitals are available from birth registration information. The latest available figures by place of birth are for 2005.
	
		
			  Live births in Stepping Hill hospital, Stockport, 1997 to 2005 
			   Live births 
			 1997 3,529 
			 1998 3,445 
			 1999 3,407 
			 2000 3,232 
			 2001 2,957 
			 2002 2,951 
			 2003 2,986 
			 2004 3,239 
			 2005 3,095 
		
	
	The table shows the figures requested for the calendar years 1997 to 2005, for Stepping Hill Hospital, the only NHS maternity unit in Stockport Primary Care Trust.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Health Services

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to improve specialist services for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Ann Keen: We have no specific plans to improve specialist services for those living with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Clostridium

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) infections and  (b) deaths due to  Clostridium difficile in (i) Gloucestershire hospitals NHS trust and (ii) England in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: We introduced mandatory surveillance of  Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in January 2004. The latest annual data were published in July 2007 and the number of CDI reports for patients aged 65 and over in Gloucestershire hospitals NHS foundation trust and in England are in the following table.
	
		
			   Gloucestershire NHS foundation trust  England 
			 January to December 2004 763 44,563 
			 January to December 2005 1,073 51,829 
			 January to December 2006 1,058 55,634 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency—provisional data 
		
	
	While some of the increase will be due to improved reporting, the national levels are too high and this is why we have announced a new indicator to reduce infections by 30 per cent. by March 2011.
	Information on the number of deaths in individual national health service trusts is not available but the number of death certificates in England mentioning CDI is in the following table.
	
		
			   Mentions of C. difficile  Number of these where underlying cause of death is C. difficile 
			 2001 1,150 661 
			 2002 1,338 709 
			 2003 1,702 912 
			 2004 2,155 1,187 
			 2005 3,697 2,008 
			  Source: ONS Health Statistics Quarterly 33

Dental Health: Children

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) fillings and  (b) extractions were carried out on children's teeth in each of the regions in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: Data for the years 2005 and 2006 are available at strategic health authority level in annex D of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006".
	The information in this report is based on the old contractual arrangements. This report is available in the Library and is also available:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
	The report has been published by the Information Centre for health and social care.
	Under the new contractual arrangements, no comparable data are available.

Dental Services

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to improve dental services.

Ann Keen: The Government launched fundamental reforms to national health service dentistry in England in April 2006. Under the reforms local NHS now has the power to directly commission dental services. There is further to go but the reforms provide for the first time a stable foundation on which primary care trusts can build robust NHS dental services tailored to local needs. The Government are committed to expanding NHS dental services. Two new dental schools have been opened this year in England providing an additional 170 dental training places, a 25 per cent. increase in total training places.
	The respective devolved administrations are responsible for the provision of NHS dental services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Dental Services: Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the number of dentists accepting new NHS patients within the Chorley area;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to encourage that more dentists accept new NHS patients within the Chorley area.

Ann Keen: Information on dentists accepting new national health service patients is not collected centrally.
	Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust (PCT) is investing an additional £1.3 millions in NHS dentistry to help solve the issues around access. To attract new dentists to the area and to encourage existing local dentists to provide additional services, the PCT has advertised for dentists to submit tenders to provide the additional NHS dentist appointments.
	It is anticipated that once the outcome of the tendering process is known in December dentists will agree start dates with the PCT and the increase in capacity will be available by the end of the year. Those patients that are on the dental access database will be contacted and asked if they wish to transfer to a dentist within their area.

Dental Services: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered NHS dentists there were in Shropshire in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Ann Keen: The numbers of national health service dentists at primary care trust (PCT) (including Shropshire PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) area as at 31 March 1997 to 2006 are available in annex E of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006". Information is based on old contractual arrangements.
	The report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
	The numbers of NHS dentists at PCT (including Shropshire PCT) and SHA level as at 30 June, 30 September, 31 December 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in table E1 of annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2006-07" report.
	This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. This report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607
	The inclusion of dentists on trust led contracts in the data collection following the 2006 reforms means that data collected since April 2006 cannot be directly compared with data collected under the previous system.
	In both reports, no account is taken of the level of NHS service, if any, that each dentist provides.

Departments: Road Traffic Offences

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many fixed penalty tickets were incurred by vehicles within the purview of his Department in the last year for which figures are available; and what the total cost was.

Dawn Primarolo: It is the policy of the Department not to pay any penalty imposed under the Road Traffic Acts arising from traffic accidents or any other incidents where penalties are applied.
	Individuals are required to be accountable for their own actions in this respect and the Department does not collate information on this subject.

Diabetes: Hertfordshire

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the availability of retinal screening for diabetes patients in  (a) Royston, Hertfordshire and  (b) Hertfordshire;
	(2)  whether retinal screening for diabetes patients in Hertfordshire met the required standards in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Officials from the Department had discussions with the East of England strategic health authority about retinal screening for diabetic patients recently. The two Hertfordshire primary care trusts (West Hertfordshire, East and North Hertfordshire) are working towards the national standards.

Diabetes: Sight Impaired

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of diabetes patients in  (a) Hertfordshire and  (b) England went blind in the last year for which figures are available; what trends he expects in these numbers in the future; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested. However, according to the statistical publication, "Registered Blind and Partially Sighted People Year ending 31 March 2006", during the year ending March 2006, there were around 11,000 new registrations to the register of blind people, a fall of 17 per cent. compared to 2003. Some councils have reported that new computer systems and data cleansing has reduced the number of new registrations.
	In Hertfordshire, during the year ending March 2006, 185 were added to the register of blind people.
	Registration of blindness is voluntary. However, it is a pre-condition for the receipt of certain financial benefits. It is this factor which gives greater credibility to the 'Register of the Blind' than to the 'Register of the Partially Sighted' and to other disability registration records maintained by councils, where the voluntary principle also applies.

Elderly: Abuse

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to prevent elder abuse.

Ann Keen: The Government regard abuse of vulnerable and older people as unacceptable in all its forms and is determined to root it out. We are addressing the issue in a variety of ways.
	We set out standards for care and treatment for the national health service and social care services via the national service frameworks for older people and mental health and the White Paper, 'Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability', copies of which are available in the Library.
	We introduced regulations and national minimum standards for care homes, domiciliary care agencies and adult placements. These are intended to ensure vulnerable and older people can live in a safe environment, where their rights and dignity are respected, staff are properly trained and care is of the requisite quality.
	We have created independent regulators, the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Healthcare Commission, and given them the powers they need to take action against poorly performing providers or where abuse occurs. Ultimately, they have the power to close services down.
	We expect local authorities to play their part. 'No Secrets', published by the Department in 2000 provides a complete definition of abuse and a framework for councils to work with the police, the NHS and regulators to tackle abuse and prevent it from occurring. On June 14 this year, we also announced a review of the 'No Secrets' guidance. The case for legislation to protect vulnerable adults will be considered as part of the review.
	Local authorities have been given specific responsibilities. Statutory guidance issued in May 2006 required them to ensure that directors of adult social services maintain a clear organisational and operational focus on safeguarding vulnerable adults and that relevant statutory requirements and other national standards are met, including Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) requirements. Local authorities must make sure the director of adult social services has the powers and resources necessary to encourage a culture of vigilance against the possibility of adult abuse.
	We introduced the POVA scheme in July 2004, which requires staff who provide personal care to older people in their own homes or in care homes to be subject to statutory checks, including checks of their criminal record. The scheme, which operates as a work force ban, prevents dangerous or unscrupulous people from gaining access to older and vulnerable people in care homes or being cared for in their own homes.
	The Mental Capacity Act 2005, which came into force on 1 October 2007, introduces a new criminal offence of ill treatment or wilful neglect of a person who lacks capacity.
	The Government support the work of Action on Elder Abuse (AEA). AEA has been awarded a three-year Section 64 grant, totalling £360,000. This grant covers the three-year period from 2007 to 2009 and is to help fund central administrative costs.
	We are introducing a new centralised vetting and barring scheme for people working with children and vulnerable people. This scheme, as set out in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, will extend the coverage of the existing barring schemes and draw on wider sources of information to provide a more comprehensive and consistent measure of protection for vulnerable groups across a wide range of settings, including the whole of social care and the NHS. The new scheme will make it far more difficult for abusers to gain access to some of the most vulnerable groups in society and will be a significant step forward.

Epilepsy

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the implementation of the Government Action Plan for Epilepsy; and when the plan will be reviewed;
	(2)  what recent assessment his Department has made of access for patients with epilepsy; and how many patients are on the waiting list.

Ann Keen: We have made no assessment of the implementation of the action plan for epilepsy, and have no current plans to review this plan. The National Service Framework for Long-term Conditions is now the key policy document for improving health and social care services for neurological conditions, including epilepsy.
	Following the publication of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) report "Wasted Money, Wasted Lives", an adjournment debate was held to highlight the findings of this report into the current state of epilepsy services. During this debate I accepted an invitation to meet with the APPG to discuss their findings.
	We have made no recent assessment of access for patients with epilepsy. Information on the number of people with epilepsy on waiting lists is not available centrally.

Eyesight: Testing

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of  (a) pre-school children,  (b) children under five years and  (c) children under 12 years received eye tests in each primary care trust in the last 12 months.

Ann Keen: Information is not collected for the age bands requested. Information on children aged 0 to 15 years will be available at primary care trust (PCT) level in the publication "General Ophthalmic Services: Activity Statistics for England and Wales: April 2007-September 2007". This will be published by March 2008.
	The total number of sight tests paid for in England by PCTs for children aged 0-15 years for the year ending 31 March 2007 is 2,113,480. This represents 20.2 per cent. of total sight tests provided in England for this period. The percentage of children aged 0-15 having a sight test was 21.8 per cent. in 2006-07, although a few children may have had more than one sight test during the year.
	These data are extracted from table B4 of the General Ophthalmic Services: Activity Statistics for England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2007 report.
	This report, published by the Information Centre for health and social care, is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/eye-care/general-ophthalmic-services:-activity-statistics-for-england-and-wales--year-ending-31-march-2007

Health Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis was for the statement made by the Prime Minister that the Darzi review is the largest consultation on the future of the NHS ever conducted, as stated in his article of 18 September 2007 at www.pm.gov.ukoutput/Page13219.asp.

Ann Keen: The National Health Service Next Stage Review is an ongoing process of engagement. The scale of these discussions is unprecedented with engagement in nine strategic health authorities involving clinicians, other staff, patients, the public and other key local stakeholders, including social care, local government and the voluntary sector.

Health Services: Autism

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the ability of the service plans of local commissioners to meet the needs of people with autism in  (a) Portsmouth and  (b) Hampshire; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to ensure that local commissioners  (a) demonstrate their plans to provide services to people with autism and  (b) implement those plans with adequate resources in (i) Portsmouth and (ii) Hampshire; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The provision of services for people with autism is a matter for the local national health service.

Heart Disease: Death

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on survival rates of victims of  (a) cardiac arrest and  (b) heart attack which take place outside a hospital.

Ann Keen: We do not hold national figures on survival after out of hospital cardiac arrest but London ambulance service analyses from 2005-06 show a survival rate of 10.9 per cent. for arrests witnessed by bystanders in London.
	Treatment of heart attacks is audited nationally through the Myocardial Infarction National Audit Project, which has links to mortality data held by the Office for National Statistics. It is therefore possible to determine the mortality rate for those suffering a heart attack who receive treatment. Latest available figures (2005-06) indicate that the survival rate (all ages) for those who experience a heart attack and receive treatment is just over 90 per cent. For under 75-year-olds who experience a heart attack there is just over 95 per cent. chance of survival.

Hospices: Finance

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will increase the level of funding from the NHS to hospices.

Ann Keen: We are developing an End of Life Care Strategy, which will deliver increased choice to all adults regardless of their condition about where they live and die. The strategy will, among many other issues, look at the role of and funding for hospices.

Hospital Beds: Paediatrics

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued by his Department on bed occupancy rates for paediatric units.

Ann Keen: No guidance has been issued. An appropriate occupancy rate will need to be able to react to changing local circumstances, such as local demand and staff availability and thereby ensure the delivery of a safe and flexible service. Such issues are best determined locally.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to hospital trusts on the management and eradication of hospital-acquired infections.

Ann Keen: Reducing health care associated infections (HCAIs), including meticillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and  Clostridium difficile is a priority for the Department.
	Extensive guidance has been issued over the years and is summarised in the reference section of The Health Act 2006, "Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Health Care Associated Infections". A copy has been placed in the Library and is also available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4139336
	In addition, recent guidance includes the following:
	"Saving Lives: reducing infection, delivering clean and safe care" (updated in June 2007) provides tools to help achieve effective prevention and control of HCAI. This includes high impact intervention care bundles on the use of various catheters, a care bundle for ventilated patients; and best practice documents on prevention of surgical site infection; taking blood cultures; screening for MRSA colonisation,  C. difficle and antimicrobial prescribing. This report is available in the Library and also at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_078134
	"Isolating patients with health care associated infection" which will help ensure safe placement management and care of patients with infections. This report has been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.clean-safe-care.nhs.uk/cms/ArticleFiles/mmn4zs453tvojo45jrxa1kui25082005104027/Files/IsolationGuidance__07.pdf
	"Epic 2: National Evidence-based Guidelines for Preventing Healthcare—Associated Infections in NHS Hospitals in England", published in February 2007, provides the evidence base for many elements of clinical practice which are essential for prevention and control of health care associated infections and which can be adapted for use locally. This report has been placed in the Library and is also available at:
	www.epic.tvu.ac.uk/PDF%20Files/epic2/epic2-final.pdf
	A professional letter on health care associated infections including particularly infection caused by  Clostridium difficile was issued to all chief executives of NHS acute trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities on 7 December 2006. This letter set out the policies and clinical practices needed to control  Clostridium difficile and also included very simple operational guidance for managers. A copy has been placed in the Library and is also available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/Dearcolleagueletters/DH_063090
	This followed up the joint professional letter from the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Nursing Officer issued in December 2005 reminding them of the importance of this infection and listed the key actions to control  Clostridium difficile and highlighted the guidance available. The letter has been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/LettersAndCirculars/ProfessionalLetters/ChiefMedicalOfficerLetters/ChiefMedicalOfficerLettersArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4125069&chk=cuQ7C%2B

Influenza: Vaccination

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the take up by pensioners in Peterborough constituency of influenza vaccinations in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: Information is not available in the format requested. However, data on the uptake of flu vaccine for those aged 65 and over was collected for the first time from 2000-01.
	The following table shows the percentage of those aged 65 and over who received a flu vaccine in the Peterborough primary care trust (PCT) area for which data are available.
	
		
			   PCT  Percentage of those aged 65 and over who received flu vaccine 
			 2000-01 Data collected by health authority (1)— 
			 2001-02 Data collected by health authority (1)— 
			 2002-03 South Peterborough 71 
			  North Peterborough 71 
			 2003-04 South Peterborough 73 
			  North Peterborough 74 
			 2004-05 South Peterborough 74 
			  North Peterborough 75 
			 2005-06 South Peterborough 77 
			  North Peterborough 78 
			 2006-07 Peterborough 75 
			 (1) Not available in the format requested

IVF

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking  (a) to monitor and  (b) to audit the implementation of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on IVF treatment across England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: When the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published the clinical guideline on fertility services in 2004, we made it clear that we expected primary care trusts (PCTs) in England to move over time to the provision of three cycles of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) as recommended. We are working with the patient support organisation Infertility Network UK to help PCTs to identify and share best practice in the provision of fertility services and achieving the NICE guidelines. To support this work, and help identify where the national health service may need further assistance in delivering services in an equitable way, the Department will monitor IVF provision.

Maidstone NHS Trust: Managers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date his Department was informed of  (a) the proposed resignation of the former chief executive of the Maidstone NHS Trust and  (b) the fact that a financial package was being negotiated for her.

Ann Keen: The employment of staff, clinicians and managers within the national health service is a matter for local NHS boards. In the case of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells we have asked the NHS trust to withhold any severance payment to the former chief executive prior to the Department considering legal advice on the matter.

Maternity Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adverse events have been recorded in NHS maternity services  (a) in England and  (b) in each strategic health authority area in each year since 1997, broken down by type of adverse event.

Ann Keen: The National Patient Safety Agency collects reports of patient safety incidents on the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS). All national health service trusts have been able to report into this system since late 2004. Complete statistics relevant to this question are available for the years October 2005—September 2006 and for October 2006—September 2007. Staff usually report patient safety incidents before any further investigation or follow-up has taken place.
	The information requested is set out in the following tables.
	Around 98 per cent. of incidents reported were classed as 'no harm', 'low harm' or 'moderate harm' in the view of the person completing the incident report.
	The information should be considered in the context that there were 635,748 women having babies in 2006. All of these women also have many episodes of care.
	Incidents broken down by incident types occurring in maternity related specialties.
	
		
			   Date incident was submitted to the NRLS 
			   October 2005-September 2006  October 2006-September 2007 
			 Access, admission, transfer, discharge (including missing patient) 6,938 8,779 
			 Clinical assessment (including diagnosis, scans, tests, assessments) 3,640 5,349 
			 Consent, communication, confidentiality 2,625 3,668 
			 Disruptive, aggressive behaviour 46 47 
			 Documentation (including records, identification) 3,351 4,568 
			 Implementation of care and ongoing monitoring / review 1,128 1,751 
			 Infection control incident 356 480 
			 Infrastructure (including staffing, facilities, environment) 4,469 6,536 
			 Medical device/equipment 1,500 2,085 
			 Medication 2,081 2,789 
			 Patient abuse (by staff/third party) 43 57 
			 Patient accident 1169 1,617 
			 Self-harming behaviour 25 26 
			 Treatment, procedure 13,695 21,104 
			 Other 2,923 4,915 
			 Not stated 12 30 
			 Total 44,001 63,801 
		
	
	Adverse events occurring in maternity services and reported to the NRLS by NHS trusts in England, by strategic health authority (SHA) and by type of event.
	
		
			  Incidents occurring in maternity related specialties broken down by SHAs 
			   Date incident was submitted to the NRLS 
			  SHA code  October 2005-September 2006  October 2006-September 2007 
			 North East SHA 1,785 2,684 
			 North West SHA 5,412 8,265 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber SHA 5,593 6,202 
			 East Midlands SHA 4,072 4,373 
			 West Midlands SHA 1,291 5,050 
			 East of England SHA 5,708 7,629 
			 London SHA 8,124 13,205 
			 South East Coast SHA 4,449 4,953 
			 South Central SHA 4,013 6,197 
			 South West SHA 3,529 5,241 
			 Not specified 25 2 
			 Total 44,001 63,801

Medical Services: Standards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent evidence his Department has considered on the effect on clinical outcomes of centralisation of services for  (a) stroke,  (b) heart attack,  (c) respiratory problems and  (d) other conditions.

Ann Keen: "Mending hearts and brains", published in December 2006, by the National Clinical Director for Heart Disease and Stroke, makes a clinical case for changes to the way heart attack and stroke services are provided in both hospital and community settings.
	This, and similar publications issued with respect to mental health, cancer and children and maternity services in particular, is not intended to be prescriptive but to explain the clinical reasons for changing the way in which services are provided in order to save lives and achieve better outcomes for patients.
	The Department is currently developing a National Service Framework for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. This will be published in 2008.

Midwives: NHS Stockport Primary Care Trust

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives were employed in the NHS Stockport Primary Care Trust in each year since 1997; and how many vacancies for midwives there were in the trust in each year.

Ann Keen: Midwives are employed by acute trusts rather than primary care trusts. The number of midwives employed by Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and its predecessor organisations since 1997 is listed in the following table. The national health service vacancy survey started in 1999 and records vacancies lasting three months or more. Since the survey began, two vacancies have been recorded at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, both in March 2005.
	
		
			   Number 
			 1997 195 
			 1998 178 
			 1999 179 
			 2000 162 
			 2001 188 
			 2002 175 
			 2003 165 
			 2004 159 
			 2005 164 
			 2006 176 
			  Notes: 1. On 1 April 2000, Stockport Acute Services NHS Trust and Stockport Healthcare NHS Trust merged to form Stockport NHS Trust. The Trust achieved foundation status on 1 April 2004. 2. Figures listed are at 30 September on each specified year.  Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care non-medical workforce census.

MRSA: Screening

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of introducing MRSA screening for  (a) elective and  (b) all admissions to hospital.

Ann Keen: Estimates of costs for introducing meticillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are up to £37 million per year and for MRSA screening for all admissions to hospital are up to £124 million per year.

NHS: Pay

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in management positions in NHS trusts in  (a) England and  (b) the east of England earned more than £100,000 per annum in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 1997-98 in (1) cash and (2) real terms.

Ann Keen: The Department does not collect details on the pay of individuals in national health service trusts. We therefore cannot provide the number earning more than £100,000 per annum.
	NHS organisations are public bodies and as such, the pay of their senior executive teams is a matter of public record, published in their annual accounts.
	Following the reconfigurations proposed by "Commissioning A Patient-led NHS", the Department in July 2006 published a new "Pay Framework for very senior managers in strategic and special health authorities, primary care trusts and ambulance trusts in July 2006". A copy of the report is available in the Library. Primary care trust executives (chief executives and board level directors) are paid a spot rate salary which is determined (within a range) by the size of the population the PCT serves; for ambulance trust executives it is determined by their expenditure on emergency services and activity.
	The spot rate salaries for 2006-07 are shown in the following tables, reflecting the staged pay award announced on 30 March 2006. The Framework also provides for the payment of recruitment and retention premia (of up to 30 per cent. of the spot rate salary) and payments for additional duties (up to 10 per cent, of the spot rate salary) where appropriate.
	A copy of the "Very Senior Managers' Pay Framework" (updated July 2007) has been placed in the Library and is also available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_076986
	
		
			  Primary Care Trusts 2006-07 Rates 
			   % of CE  Weighted population:  Up to 150,000  150,000 to 300,000  300,000 to 500,000  500,000 to 1 million  Over 1 million 
			 PCT Band 1  PCT Band 2  PCT Band 3  PCT Band 4  PCT Band 5 
			 PCT Chief Executive Spot Rate  October 2006 rates 99,044 109,470 119,896 130,322 140,747 
			   November 2006 rates 100,221 110,771 121,320 131,870 142,420 
			  PCT Directors
			 Finance 75 October 2006 rates 74,283 82,103 89,922 97,742 105,560 
			   November 2006 rates 75,166 83,078 90,990 98,903 106,815 
			 
			 Public Health 70 October 2006 rates 69,331 76,629 833,927 91,225 98,523 
			   November 2006 rates 70,155 77,540 84,924 92,309 99,694 
			 
			 Commissioning Nursing Operations Performance Planning 65 October 2006 rates 64,379 71,156 77,932 84,709 91,486 
			   November 2006 rates 65,144 72,001 78,858 85,716 92,573 
			 
			 Human Resources IM&T 60 October 2006 rates 59,426 65,682 71,938 78,193 84,448 
			   November 2006 rates 60,133 66,463 72,792 79,122 85,452 
			 
			 Corporate Affairs 55 October 2006 rates 54,474 60,209 65,943 71,677 77,411 
			   November 2006 rates 55,122 60,924 66,726 72,529 78,331 
		
	
	
		
			  Ambulance Trusts 2006-07 Rates 
			   Banding by Emergency Expenditure and Activity: 
			   % of CE   AT Band 1  AT Band 2  AT Band 3  AT Band 4 
			 AT Chief Executive Spot Rate  July 2006 rates 106,050 114,130 121,200 141,400 
			   November 2006 rates 707,370 775,486 722,640 743,080 
			  AT Directors   
			 Finance 75 July 2006 rates 79,538 85,598 90,900 106,050 
			   November 2006 rates 80,483 86,675 97,980 707,370 
			
			 Operations 70 July 2006 rates 74,235 79,891 84,840 98,980 
			   November 2006 rates 75,777 80,840 85,848 700,756 
			 Human Resources 60 July 2006 rates 63,630 68,478 72,720 84,840 
			   November 2006 rates 64,386 69,292 73,584 85,848

NHS: Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the 2006-07 Resource Accounts for the NHS pension scheme to be published.

Ann Keen: The National Health Service Pension Scheme Resource Accounts for the 2006-07 year should be laid before Parliament on Monday 22 October.

Nurses: Manpower

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses were employed by Stockport Primary Care Trust in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: The information requested can be found in the following table:
	
		
			  National health service hospital and community health services: Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in the Stockport primary care trust (PCT) as at 30 September each specified year headcount 
			   Number 
			 2001 365 
			 2002 429 
			 2003 401 
			 2004 423 
			 2005 437 
			 2006 467 
			  Note: More accurate validation processes in 2006 have resulted in the identification and removal of 9858 duplicate non-medical staff records out of the total workforce figure of 1.3 million in 2006. Earlier years' figures could not be accurately validated in this way and so will be slightly inflated. The level of inflation in earlier years' figures is estimated to be less than 1 per cent. of total across all non-medical staff groups for headcount figures (and negligible for full time equivalents). This should be taken into consideration when analysing trends over time.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care non-medical workforce census.

Obesity

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of obesity in England.

Dawn Primarolo: Obesity is a serious problem, with significant health, social and financial costs. Successfully tackling the problem requires a whole society approach.
	The Foresight report (copies of which are available in the Library) predicts that by 2050 over half the adult population will be obese, costing the nation an extra £45.5 billion a year.
	The Government have already made significant progress in a number of areas. For example:
	We have worked with Ofcom to change the nature and balance of advertising food to children, by restricting the promotion of foods high in salt, sugar and fat.
	We have transformed school sport over the past five years, with 86 per cent, of school children now doing two hours of quality school sport a week. And we want to go further so that every child has the chance of five hours of sport every week, backed by £100 million a year additional investment.
	We have put in place tougher nutritional standards for school food, supported by an investment of £500 million between 2005 and 2011 to transform school food across the school day.
	In March 2006, the Food Standards Agency launched their signpost model for front of pack food labelling.
	We commissioned Foresight to use scientific evidence to help us understand more fully the scale of the problem and with the publication of their report today, we now have a world-leading evidence platform to move further and faster in our approach to tackling obesity
	The Government have committed to go further and faster on its existing obesity policies and will be developing a comprehensive cross-Government strategy on obesity, building on the evidence in this report. The work will be led by a cross-governmental ministerial group convened by the Secretary of State for Health.

Prostate Cancer: Screening

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests were carried out by the national health service in 2006-07; how many men were diagnosed with prostate cancer as a result of the test; what alternatives to the PSA test have been assessed; what plans he has to introduce such alternative tests; and what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Welsh Assembly Government on methods of prostate cancer diagnosis.

Ann Keen: The prostate specific antigen (PSA) test measures the level of PSA in a man's blood. However, it is not perfect. Some men with prostate cancer do not have raised levels of PSA. Two-thirds of men with raised levels of PSA, depending on the cut-off level used, do not have prostate cancer. The PSA test cannot distinguish between men with slow-growing prostate cancer and those who have a more aggressive disease.
	The number of PSA tests carried out in the national health service is not held centrally. The Department policy research programme funded a study on urological referral in men with raised PSA levels and patterns of testing in general practice between 2002 and 2004. The study showed that the annual rate of testing is estimated to be 8.6 per 100 men (1).
	The number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer as a result of having a PSA test is not held centrally. However, it is likely that most men with a diagnosis of prostate cancer had at least one PSA test as part of the diagnostic process.
	The Government are committed to introducing a national screening programme for prostate cancer if and when screening and treatment techniques are sufficiently well developed. There is currently insufficient evidence from any country in the world to show that screening would reduce deaths from prostate cancer. The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (NSC) keeps screening for prostate cancer under review.
	The Department is supporting the development of screening technology for prostate cancer by having a comprehensive research strategy into all aspects of prostate cancer. We are jointly with other National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) members funding two NCRI Prostate Cancer Research Collaboratives, and the Department has funded half of the total £7.4 million cost for the first three years. Following a review of progress by an international expert panel the Department, Cancer Research UK and the Medical Research Council have agreed to provide a further three years funding of £3.9 million. The research undertaken by the Collaboratives covers all aspects of prostate cancer, and the NSC will be kept closely informed of any research results affecting the evidence base of prostate cancer screening. We are also monitoring international trials on prostate cancer screening.
	It is important to note that in order for a screening technology to contribute to saving lives it is essential for there to be effective treatments for the disease detected. That is why the Department is funding a £20 million trial of treatments for (PSA) screen-detected early prostate cancer (the ProtecT trial). The trial is due to complete in 2008.
	Regarding the Welsh Assembly, the Director of Cancer Services at NHS Wales is an observer on the Department's Prostate Cancer Advisory Group.
	(1) This is estimated data from selected general practitioners (GPs) at four laboratories and does not represent the whole of England. Only GP requests for PSA testing were included in the study, not those from urology departments. The study did not include testing undertaken in the independent sector. The study was restricted to men aged 45 to 84 years.

Streptococcus: Pregnant Women

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will assess the latest evidence for testing pregnant women for group B streptococcus; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four UK countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.
	The UK NSC is considering the implications of the latest research as part of an ongoing programme of work to assess the evidence on the best way to reduce newborn group B streptococcus infections.